FH/Ethiopia
Ato Abuta Kotalo, age 35, is struggling to feed his family of eight. Even in normal times, Ato Abuta struggles daily to provide for his family, and the drought has only worsened their vulnerability. In order to survive, Ato Abuta sold his only source of livelihood, two sheep, in order to purchase food for his family. He is left with no assets, and in order to make ends meet, he and his wife spend several hours weeding and hoeing on their neighbors’ farms, as well as travel long distance for day labor jobs, for a small source of income.
Ato Abuta says, “My little children cry out at night because they go hungry to bed…the little ones are quite ill due to their hunger. Currently, I am only able to feed my little children by borrowing money from neighbors to purchase food. I will have to pay them back with 10% interest after my harvest.”
Food for the Hungry is reaching out to the families of both Ato Chakeso and Ato Abuta, as well as the other families identified in Shashego as needing urgent food assistance. In the coming weeks, FH will be providing these families with a food package (including maize, haricot beans, supplementary food (for children under five and pregnant and lactating women), and cooking oil) to help get them through this challenging period. Food for the Hungry is providing food packages for 91,810 individuals in drought affected communities throughout Ethiopia through the generous support of USAID and Canadian Food Grains Bank (CFGB). An additional $122,000 is needed to sustain this food distribution program, which is expected to last through the end of the year.
