June 2006 Inside this issue:
Drought in the Horn of Africa By Jacqueline McDonnell
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ONSIDER TWO children born in 1984. Abeba is a 1 Feature Article little girl, born to a loving family in a small village in Ethiopia, in by Jacqui McDonnell the Horn of Africa. She is one 1 The Stats of 5 children in a family whose by Ashraf Saleh only income is from the sale of a drought-stricken, dwindling 2 Drought and its herd of cattle. At the same time impact on health in a completely different world 2-3 Interview Dillon is born. He is a white male, with Dr Jill John-Kall the long awaited first born to a tertiary educated couple in the 3 DWG Update suburbs of Melbourne. 4 Links & Resources The child mortality rate in Ethiopia is 80 per 1000 live 4 Contacts births, due mainly to preventable diseases and malnutrition. If IMC waterpoint in Deileij Abeba does make it to the age of 5 she will already be working in her family’s their race, their parents’ income and educasubfertile fields, helping her mother prepare tion, their urban or rural location, much less meals and carrying jugs of water from a well their sex. Yet statistics propose that these By Ashraf Saleh one kilometre away. Because she is a girl predestined demographics will make a major and the youngest, Abeba will be allocated difference to the lives they will lead. URRENTLY, OVER 70% of the popFast-forward into their future. Abeba less food than her brothers and will not be ulation of the Horn of Africa has no sent to school. Due to chronic malnutrition at 15, is married to a man much older than access to healthcare or clean, potable washe will be small for her age and constantly herself and pregnant with their first child. ter. Around half a million people are now With yet another drought in Ethiopia there plagued with infections. threatened by severe food shortages. The In contrast, at 5 years of age, Dillon will is even less food for Abeba and her unborn cycle of unremitting drought, which began child. Food aid was promised for her area have spent a year in kindergarten. in 1999, has put 3.5 million people, includHe may have begun learning a second but it did not come. Whether it has been ing 500,000 children in need of emergency language and his BMI is already slightly high lost to governmental corruption, logistical assistance, particularly in the arid northern problems or another of the many African for his age. districts. Yet the crisis has captured scant Abeba and Dillon can in no way be held countries gutted by the ravishing drought media attention. responsible for their family circumstances; is irrelevant to Abeba, whose only concern In Sudan, drought is translating into is enduring each day. With barely enough widespread famine, where malnutrition food to sustain herself, if the pregnancy is on the increase as escalating violence does go to term and Abeba survives the The drought has also had a shattering and lack of funds hamper aid efforts. The delivery, her baby will be small for dates surge in fighting has forced some 200,000 effect on the already fragile economy. Anwith only a diminutive chance of surviving people to flee, bringing the total displaced nual Gross National Product is as low as the neonatal period. Abeba herself will be US$90 per capita in Ethiopia. More than to over 2 million. lucky to live to 42. In Kenya, minimal access to water 1 in 3 people in this region earn less than Dillon’s story, on the other hand, is one has rendered the population vulnerable to a dollar a day. we already know well. At 15 he is learnThese condihunger, disease and ing to drive, looking for a part time job to poor sanitation. Due “… in this part of the world, tions result in a life supplement pocket money, and wonderexpectancy of 44 to inaccessible food ing what he is going to be when he grows and a lack of clean there are less than 15 doctors years for men and up. There is plenty of time to decide, as 47 years for women, water, Kenyans are per 1 000 000 people …” he will probably live till he is 80. He might with infant and maforced to constantly go to university, study medicine and have move in search of these, resulting in de- ternal mortality rates being the tenth and an altruistic vision to change the world and creased access to health services and a third highest in the world respectively. In help Abeba. But where will he start? He greater risk of contracting diseases includ- this part of the world, there are less than will need a Vector… 15 doctors per 1,000,000 people. ing malaria and HIV/AIDS.
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Photo courtesy of IMC
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