Tai Po Fire Emergency Response
Pathways Out of Hunger
Aklilu Kassaye, Ben Adams and Elissa Webster
Mensur is 11 and loves his 3-year-old little brother Nuredin fiercely, especially because he came so close to losing him. Mensur was just eight when his father left his mother Hindiya, selling their family land and leaving them with nowhere to live.
Their world was thrown upside down. Hindiya had to find a way to put food on the table, so she borrowed money to buy some grain at the market and sold it in small bundles from a stall near the front of her parents’ house. Unfortunately, the money she earned was not enough to feed herself and Mensur.
“I asked for food from people I know and did everyday labour including cleaning work to save the life of my sick child Nuredin. I was scared that my child would die of hunger any time… I was always afraid of losing him. Usually we breastfeed our children for up to two years, but in my case, my breast did not have any milk for Nuredin because I did not eat enough food,” Hindiya says.
Mensur stayed at home looking after Nuredin while Hindiya tried to earn their living, which meant he missed out on more and more school, and found it harder and harder to concentrate when he was there. Soon, Nuredin was severely malnourished and constantly sick from one illness after another. Hindiya began spending most of her days taking Nuredin to the health clinic, where they gave her emergency supplements and advice on what to feed him. But there was no way Hindiya could afford the diet the health workers told her Nuredin needed and so night after night, Hindiya and Mensur took turns holding Nuredin through fevers and convulsions, waiting for him to die. “My little brother was critically sick and there was a time when he was close to dying. I used to be scared of losing him forever,” says Mensur.
It was during this dark period in their lives when World Vision staff arrived at their gate, explaining that children in their community who were facing difficulties had the chance to join the Child Sponsorship programme. Believing it was an answer to their prayers, Hindiya registered Mensur for the programme. She was given seeds and training to grow vegetables for her boys, and soon had a thriving garden. She learned about child nutrition and the types of food that growing children need to be healthy.
Hindiya also received some chickens and learned how to breed poultry, set up her own poultry business, and manage her finances. Today Hindiya’s poultry business is booming and she has regular clients ordering meat from her each week. She eventually has had plenty of food for her children, Nuredin is a healthy toddler and Mensur is back at school and doing well.
“As a result of the support from World Vision, our livelihood has begun to improve. My school performance is improving. My little brother's health has greatly improved very well. When I grow up and leave high school, I would like to be a medical doctor to help the sick. The support of the sponsors has taken us out of the worst challenge of life, and I appreciate the support and feel thankful for that,” Mensur adds.
Sheshemene is about 250 km from the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Sponsorship has been working in Sheshemene since 2006, with the support of sponsors from Hong Kong, 6,285 children are sponsored but more than a hundred and twenty thousand people have been impacted by the programme.
