| Ideal response in drought-affected areas of Hararghe |
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| Saturday, 01 November 2008 | |
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In order to mitigate the impact of the food crisis on affected women and to improve the reproductive health of communities in the areas, UNFPA and IMC were conducting life-saving activities in nine severely affected woredas in the two zones: Meiso, Doba, Chiro and Tulu woredas in West Hararghe and Gorogutu, Meta, Deder, Melka Belo and Meyu woredas in East Hararghe. The initiative was funded by the Japanese government with a total budget of USD 200,000. East and West Hararghe zones have faced chronic food insecurity and have been strongly affected by the current food crisis. In response, IMC has been providing support to community-based management of acute malnutrition programs operating in the Ministry of Health facilities in two zones. Marefia Mamo, reproductive health coordinator of the two zones, said that IMC nurses and nutrition specialists have been strengthening the capacity of health facility staff and health extension workers to effectively identify, treat and prevent cases of malnutrition. IMC also provides logistical and manpower support to health facilities to help them cope with the increase in cases of malnutrition resulting from the current food crisis. Additionally, IMC provides ongoing supervision and training and is currently supervising 55 outpatient therapeutic care (OTP) centers in available hospitals, health centers, clinics and health posts. According to information obtained from the areas, there were some 80,000 adults of reproductive age (34,000 in West Hararghe and 46,000 in East Hararghe), among the most vulnerable in the communities were direct project beneficiaries receiving reproductive health education and services. The project also gave education on safe motherhood, family planning, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (TSIs), female genital mutilation and sexual violence. The project targeted at least 50,000 pregnant and lactating women in the most affected districts. During eight months, the project was aimed to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity by providing reproductive health community education and services; and to increase awareness of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)/HIV AIDS and access to treatments for STIs. The project had four essential components: training, education, procurement and improvement of the referral system for pregnant women during obstetric emergencies. Before reaching out to the community, IMC focused on training health facility staff, community volunteers, health extension workers and traditional birth attendants. Some 50 health staff received training on delivery complications and STI treatment, 50 health extension workers were trained in the community conversation methodology, and 80 traditional birth attendants (TBAs) received training in clean and safe delivery techniques, prevention of infections and referral of complicated cases. Even though medical birth attendance in a health facility is the best way to prevent and address delivery-related complications, in communities where most of the women deliver at home, traditional birth attendants have proven a critical stopgap. Refisa Dawa, 70, a traditional health attendant at Meta Woreda in East Hararghe Zone said that after she received the training given by IMC, she is practicing her work in clean and safe way without noticing infections both to the mother and the child. If the case is complicated she automatically refers the pregnant women to the nearest health post or clinic. “The project gave us a clean delivery kit and we can give the required service in efficient way. Before, we were obliged to provide our services in a very poor manner that was exposed to infections and other complications,” she said. Shukria Mume, 19, a mother of three is one of the beneficiaries of the project. Recently she gave birth to twins. She appreciated the project’s effort which enabled her to benefit from clean and safe delivery techniques provided by trained traditional heath attendant. “When I gave birth to the first child some four years ago, it was terrible – there is no clean and safe kit and the laboring took a long time. If the attendant was trained she referred me to the nearest clinic.” Achievements acquired during the existence of the project include increased numbers of women delivering in the presence of traditional birth attendant trained in clean delivery techniques. IMC-trained traditional birth attendants are reaching large numbers of pregnant women in remote areas, thus reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Community mobilization and targeted health education provided to community at large at health facilities and mobile OTP sites. Reproductive health integrated into existing nutrition programs to reach the most vulnerable members of the community in a cost-effective way. Integration is in line with the government’s commitment to “HIV and gender mainstreaming” in humanitarian responses and improvement of maternal health of the most vulnerable. Reports show that every year an estimated 25,000 maternal deaths occur in Ethiopia, and more than 500,000 women suffer pregnancy-related disabilities such as fistula. Over 80 percent of these maternal deaths and disabilities occur as a result of pregnancy-related complications caused by limited inadequacy skilled staff, inadequate equipment, supplies and drugs and an inefficient health referral system. Complications in childbirth are not the only reproductive health issues Ethiopian women face. Unwanted pregnancy is particularly a concern for women who already have several children they are struggling to feed. HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections result from lack of awareness and the low social and economic position of women compared with men. Poor living conditions, inadequate hygiene and harmful traditional practices such as early marriage and female genital mutilation practiced in many parts of the country also increase a woman’s susceptibility to delivery-related complications. Humanitarian crisis increases the vulnerability of families overall, exacerbating reproductive health risks and gender inequalities. Pregnant women in areas affected by this year’s food crisis are more likely to suffer from malnutrition and anemia. This is compounded further by stress and anxiety, the additional physical burden of walking long distances to reach food distribution points and insufficient resources to obtain essential health services during pregnancy. All of these factors combine to increase the risk of miscarriage and complication during delivery, increasing in turn maternal and neonatal deaths. It is therefore essential that humanitarian responses to the current food crisis and future humanitarian crisis take into account the vulnerability of women, especially of pregnant and lactating women and systematically address reproductive health as part of larger programs. |
By Melaku Demissie| < Prev | Next > |
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Since the introduction of electric power shedding in March this year, the impacts of power outage are strongly affecting major business entities and smallholdings across the nation. In the past three months the country has been facing electric power outage due to the dwindling water level in dams, which are the dominant source of hydroelectric power.
Beware the Asmara-Mogadishu threat!
We have always had, and will continue to have, the firm belief that when we speak of Eritrea and Somalia we must make a distinction between the people of these countries and their political leadership. We have no enemy people. The people of Somalia and Eritrea are our friends. They themselves face a range of problems. They are our partners in our quest for peace and justice.
Repercussions of power cuts
Hayal Alemayehu
When the Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation (EEPCo) instituted nationwide power shedding in March and consequently ordered high-power consuming plants not to use power a month later, Mugher Cement Enterprise did not consider the power cut as a threat because it was notified by the corporation that the power cut will last for a month.
Sir,
Ethiopia would have been a better place to live in if all our officials were approaching our problems with as much honesty and candour as these were displayed abundantly last Wednesday on TV by Ato Meheret Debebe, EEPCo's general manager.
Resource mobilized (consisting of deposits, collection of loans and borrowings) by the banking system reached 10.4 billion birr during the first quarter of 2008/09, up by 39.8 and 31.5 percent vis-à-vis the preceding quarter and same quarter of last year, respectively. This was largely attributed to the surge in net deposits.
The Amhara Region Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau says me 3.2 million hectares of land has been prepared for production with a view to raising agriculture productivity from 40 to 50 percent in the state.
On international adoption of Ethiopian children
Mehari Taddele Maru
Just after the final draft of this article, I asked myself ‘what would be the reaction of a foreigner, ferenji, or adoptive parents to this article?’; and I decided to send the final draft to one of my closest ferenjis and asked her to read the article from ‘a ferenji’ prism. Her verbatim comment was:
By Harego Bensa
People in Sierra Leon say, “No matter how long a stone stays in a sea, it will never swim like a fish.” In order for a stone to swim, it has to turn itself into a fish or any other aquatic creature. But that is against the law of nature. Or else, the stone has to take all the pains to learn and master the art of swimming. But, that is again impossible for a stone is not like a human being capable of learning. With such improbabilities, the only choice for the stone to have is to stay beneath the sea for ever and stay out of the course of the swimming creatures.
Positioning Ethiopia in the global carbon credit market
Ato Samueal Assefa has met and discussed issues of sustainable development and forest carbon credits with various Government & Business, including Addis Ababa administration, Ministry of Works and urban development, he has also met and discussed specifically forestry carbon credits with president Girma Wolde-Giorgis.
By a Staff Reporter
Policymakers must radically alter their views of migration and see it as a vital adaptation to climate change rather than an unwanted consequence or a failure to adapt, according to research by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) that was presented in London Wednesday.
When you dream, you generally don't know you're dreaming. The events of a dream feel real, regardless of how fantastic they may be. You awaken and wonder how those ideas even came to be inside your head. What do they mean?
Google’s global website was blocked in China on Wednesday night, marking an escalation in Beijing’s unprecedented crackdown on the world’s leading search engine company.
Berhane Adere was announced as an entrant in the women's half-marathon to Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon, which will be held today.
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Highlights
Positioning Ethiopia in the global carbon credit market
Samuel Assefa is the founder of Phoenix Sustainable Asset Management (PSAM) which is primarily concerned with Environment, Social Governance (ESG) assets, forestry carbon credits and sustainable urban development.
He speaks with “The Reporter” regarding his planned projects in Ethiopia.
Read the full interview on tomorrow’s English version of “The Reporter” newspaper.
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