ETHIOPIA - First steps on scorched earth

The good news first: Despite all the adversities, our medical team has been back since the end of August and TARGET's Danakil Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic has reopened its doors! Emergency operations were started with provisional electricity and water

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REVIEW

In our last annual letter, we reported that the clinic had to be evacuated and was largely destroyed due to the armed conflicts between the Ethiopian central government and the federal state of Tigray, which spread to the Afar region. The help project for girls and women affected by female genital mutilation, which had been built up from scratch at enormous expense over five painstaking years, became a place of devastation.

The Afar were forced to flee. In the months that followed, there was a shortage of everything from medical equipment and supplies to medicines and fuel for the two remaining vehicles. There were no telephone connections, banking transactions were shut down. Cholera, malaria and measles broke out and are still rampant among the population.

In addition to the consequences of displacement and the atrocities experienced, the Afar are facing a prolonged drought. Since the end of 2020, the rainy season has failed four times in a row. Many of the Afar's livestock have been stolen, killed or died of thirst by the rebels. Goats, cows and camels have always been the livelihood of most families in Afar on the edge of the Danakil. Hunger and even massive malnutrition among children characterize the local picture.

Tensions between Afar and Tigray are high, which makes the logistical and personnel supply of the area and our clinic extremely difficult. Public water points and power grids have been destroyed. Added to this is the unprecedented inflation of the Ethiopian birr.

PRESENT

Yet our loyal team continues to work courageously and tirelessly to help women and girls. They focus on supporting two health centers in Konnaba and Dire Dawa with obstetrics, gynecology and emergency care. Patients are taken to the nearest hospitals, up to 900 kilometers away, although these are also struggling with the supply bottlenecks.

At the same time, the clinic, which had been exposed to vandalism, was tidied up, the grounds cleaned and the water supply restored. A generator is providing electricity, at least as long as diesel is available. The authorities have promised a connection to the public power grid. At least this is a prospect, as our photovoltaic system needs major repairs, which are not yet feasible at the moment.

BACK!

What a sigh of relief when the clinic was able to resume emergency operations on site at the end of August. Three midwives with additional training, a laboratory technician and three drivers for the remaining ambulance and the supply vehicle form the basis of the team.

Pregnancy care, gynecological examinations and simple procedures, births and first aid for emergencies are once again possible. Women with foreseeable birth problems can be taken to the small hospital in Abala, two hours away. The kitchen has been equipped with rudimentary facilities and provides our staff and patients with simple food.

While everything is still lacking, the resumption of hospital operations is a sign of hope for the people in the desert region. We are back on the ground and can reliably support the girls and women of the families who have returned.