Ethiopians are Starving

Ethiopian children go hungry as government response faulted Source: Article HERE



SHASHEMENE, Ethiopia — Nine-month-old Alfiya Galeto weighed just 10 lbs. when she arrived at the makeshift clinic here, her eyes dull and her arms as thin as drinking straws. There was no food in their village, her mother said, and for weeks she'd been fed nothing but breast milk.
In the week after this clinic was opened by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, nearly 300 children like Alfiya were admitted for severe malnutrition. In the poor farming villages around Shashemene, in drought-ravaged southern Ethiopia , aid workers believe that hundreds and perhaps thousands more children are starving.
A serious drought and the worldwide surge in food prices are fueling one of Ethiopia's gravest hunger crises in years, with 6 million children younger than five urgently needing food, according to the United Nations Children's Fund , or UNICEF . Relief workers say scores of children already have died.
But international humanitarian groups say the Ethiopian government has been slow to respond. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government hasn't publicly declared an emergency and, the agencies say, has downplayed their estimates of the severity of the situation.
Arid, overpopulated and chronically hungry, Ethiopia receives more food aid than all but a handful of countries worldwide— most of it from the United States , which has provided $300 million in emergency assistance to relief agencies in the past year. U.S. officials defend Ethiopia , a key regional ally, arguing that the government was caught off-guard by the extent of the drought and by how quickly malnutrition rates rose in recent months.
But there were warning signs.
A U.S. humanitarian assessment mission warned in January that humanitarian conditions "could significantly deteriorate" in the impoverished southeastern Somali region. By February— as rainfall remained scant, maize and other staple crops failed and inflation soared— international aid workers reported that malnourished children were showing up at hospitals in southern Ethiopia .
In an address to parliament on March 18 , Meles said that reports of drought-related deaths were "false." It wasn't until last week that a delegation of Ethiopian emergency relief officials toured Shashemene and other parts of the drought-ravaged south. According to humanitarian officials who were briefed on the visit, the Ethiopians were "shocked" by the conditions and pledged to respond.
"It is absolutely critical at this stage that the government of Ethiopia recognizes the depth of its problem, and works to ensure that its children survive this crisis," said one senior international aid official who, like several interviewed for this story, requested anonymity for fear of angering Ethiopian officials.
The head of another international relief group said: "Is it a lack of information or is it denial? The government needs to recognize this is an emergency, to convene donors and to facilitate the arrival of assistance in the country."
Ethiopian officials weren't available for comment. But the inability to feed itself is at odds with the image that the government wants to project: that of a country on the rise, with annual economic growth of around 10 percent, fresh off a massive coming-out celebration last year to mark the year 2000 on the Ethiopian calendar.
At the Doctors Without Borders clinic in Shashemene, 150 miles south of Addis Ababa , 277 children were admitted in the first eight days. Hundreds more are in outpatient care in far-flung clinics in the countryside. In Seraro, a remote town about two hours from here, aid workers reported that 55 had died by mid-May.
The children in Shashemene are faring slightly better. Four have died, but the vast majority are slowly putting on weight thanks to a steady diet of fortified milk and Plumpy'nut— a protein-enriched, peanut butter-like paste often used in famine relief.
On a recent afternoon, a group of mothers smiled as 12-month-old Hirwot, who'd been admitted a week earlier with persistent diarrhea, weighed in at 3 pounds heavier and was transferred out of the ward reserved for the most serious cases.
Alfiya, the 9-month-old, looked in awful shape when her mother brought her in from their village 50 miles away. Her limp body was swallowed by a pale green sweater and flies buzzed about her head, which was scabbed with sores.
But Veronique DeClerck , a Belgian midwife who inspected the child, pronounced that she would survive.
"Now that she's here, she gets treatment and she'll make it," DeClerck said. "But the problem is when they go home, and there's still no food."
Relief agencies say they badly need more Plumpy'nut, vitamin-enriched milk, antibiotics and other treatments. Some agencies complain that the government continues to impose heavy import duties on emergency supplements like Plumpy'nut, which is taxed at about 50 percent.
Of $50 million needed for life-saving food and medical care, UNICEF says that donor countries have chipped in only $6 million .
"We are far from knowing the magnitude of the situation," said Francois Calas , country coordinator for the Belgian arm of Doctors Without Borders. "We can expect the coming months to be very difficult as well."
Relations between the government and relief agencies are severely strained. Last year, during a secretive military operation against rebels in the Somali region, also known as the Ogaden, the government temporarily expelled the International Committee of the Red Cross and teams from Doctors Without Borders from the area. Ogaden refugees have since described massive human rights violations by Ethiopian soldiers.
Earlier in 2007, the government refused to declare a cholera outbreak that killed hundreds of people and infected more than 60,000. Despite U.N. tests showing that the epidemic was indeed cholera, Ethiopian officials insisted on calling it "acute watery diarrhea," which may have slowed the international response, aid officials said.

Gobez Decatur High School!

"Spencer Kabelac and his classmates at Decatur High School are fundraising for the people of Haiti, where thousands are literally rioting in the streets because they're hungry.We thought we could make a fundraiser the last week of school and thought we could go out our last year with a bang," he said.

The people of Haiti are so desperate for food, some have resorted to eating pancakes made up of butter, salt, water and dirt.

After seeing that disturbing news report, social studies teachers Kim Meschter and Ann Kormos decided to get their classes in action. So far the students have raised two classrooms full of food and clothing, along with $4,000 toward buying a shipping container to send the donated items.

With only one week left until school is out, the students are working overtime to raise an additional $3,000 to send that shipping container to Haiti - and they're asking for help.

"The people talk about problems here like high gas, but really it's an inconvenience compared to what they have to go through there," said Kim Meschter, teacher.
All donations can be mailed or brought directly to Decatur High School in Federal Way."

Source, King 5 news

Click HERE for the video

Kathy Holmgren

I usually do not catch the local news, but so glad I saw this last night! What an inspiration.

"She's married to one of most prominent people in Seattle, but her passion is for the common man. Kathy Holmgren, wife of Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, is leading a decidedly low-profile life of service to the poor. KING 5's Eric Wilkinson reports on how she hopes to inspire all of us to enrich the lives of the less fortunate."

Click HERE for the video

MORE Viking Cup!

BBC Article

"Ethiopia is facing its worst humanitarian crisis since 2003. Aid agencies in Shashamina have been inundated with people suffering from malnutrition. " Something to keep our perspective amidst all the rising prices.

Leaving in 13 Days

Notice to the mail thief's, who stole our mail and Christmas cards last December when we were in Addis....It is ON HOLD during this assignment! We are heading down to Wildhorse Canyon for 3 weeks. Lance will be working, we will be playing in the Olympic size pool, scaling the climbing wall, and eating ice-cream. I will be doing my laundry, but I will not have to cook the entire time! Gotta love it! Usually I have packed bins and bins of activities, snacks etc by now, and I have done NOTHING. The closest Safeway is an hour away, and the Bend is two hours. Plus, since life isn't crazy enough, I decided to drive down to the Prefontaine Classic next weekend (5 hour drive) to take Sami and Tsion to see Meseret Defar and Kenenisa Bekele try and break the World Record. A group of Ethiopian kids are going to be able to meet them the day before the race. Should be fun, and well worth the drive! Anyway, you can pray for my sanity the next couple weeks, as we finish school, baseball and begin our crazy summer at camp!

Viking Cup 2008

Sami looking sweet in his new Rec Specs!

Zach, sopping wet for two games.

After losing our first game, Explosion came back to win three in a row to win 1st place in their division. The last game was a nail biter, and our defender scored a goal in OT. That win against XYZ team (I will keep it secret, unless you know where Lance grew up!) was especially sweet, because one of their parents was trash talking about how good they were while we were all eating lunch at the market! Who does that??? Alright, they were from Bellevue. :)

Anyway, congrats to my boys, who played great!! HERE is an article about the team (for the grandparents) that was from last season....and yes, one of the boys broke his arm during the tourney, ouch!

The First Sign of a Pre-Teen

Tonight Zach went with Lance to a WYLDLIFE event. Officially, he is not yet old enough, but Dad was driving. There are benefits of being a PK! :) Lance had a middle school Bible study before hand, which understandably, not knowing anyone, Zach did not want to go to. Then.....he remembered..... "Will there be pizza?" I have never seen someone jump out of their seat so fast. "I'm in."

Definition of Expansion

I hope Sami will look back and read these school posts with a smile someday. I think it is so cute. This week, one of his spelling words was "expansive", he also needs to define it. We studied both during the week. He brought home his test today. He spelled expansive correctly, but defined it as "it is like when you have a party like you bring lots of people." I think he thought it was expensive.....a word I use quite frequently!

Operation Gratitude

Love this! My kids are always in awe of the soldiers we see here and there, and at the airport. What a great was to show their appreciation.

Amazing Grace

Evidently, 3.3 million people have seen this video over the last 2 years, and I am not one of them! I am posting this for my Dad, cuz otherwise, he would never find it. ;)

Children Starving in Ethiopia

SHANTO, Ethiopia -

"This year's poor rains have nearly killed Bizunesh.
The 3-year-old weighs less than 10 pounds. Her long limbs, weak and folded like a praying mantis, cannot carry even her slight weight. She cannot speak. She doesn't want to eat. Health officials say she is permanently stunted.
Bizunesh — whose name, sadly, means "plentiful" — is one of untold numbers of children hit by this year's double blow of a countrywide drought and skyrocketing global food prices that has brought famine, once again, to Ethiopia." Read the rest HERE

When will we see enough to truly understand and have compassion. Heather reminded me of a quote from Mother Theresa....

"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed. We have refused to be instruments of love in the hands of God to give the poor a piece of bread, to offer them a dress with which to ward off the cold. It has happened because we did not recognize Christ when, once more, he appeared under the guise of pain, identified with a man numb from the cold, dying of hunger, when he came in a lonely human being, in a lost child in search of a home."

Many adoptive parents feel, that this child could have been ours. What plan does God have for this 3 year old? Choose to act....give up lattes for a month and sponsor a child. Check out Children's Hope Chest, or the 5 for 50 Campaign.




Please pray how YOU can make a difference!

A Sunny Day

Last weekend (yes, I am 10 days behind) we had an 80 degree day. This is my theory when the sun comes out in Seattle. Seattleites have not seen the sun for months. So when it does come out, everyone is blinded. We all run to Target for a new pair of sunglasses, because they are easily lost due to infrequent use. Then, the excitement turns to delirium and we forget the last 6 months of misery, clouds, rain and drizzle, and proclaim Seattle "the most beautiful city". It usually lasts a day, maybe two, till the clouds come back. Then sometime AFTER July 4, it will show itself for summer. This was one of those first days the sun came out, and we headed to the waterfront after baseball..........

Lost Ark of the Covenant 'traced to Ethiopia'

Last year I read The Sign and the Seal. I recently came across this article on Ethioblog about the Ark (here is the direct link).

"German archaeologists have claimed to have found one of the fabled resting places of the Ark of the Covenant, the chest holding the Ten Commandments which gave the ancient Israelites their power.
The University of Hamburg say its researchers have found the remains of the 10th century BC palace of the Queen of Sheba in Axum, Ethiopia, and an altar which at one time reputedly held the precious treasure.
Archaeologist Helmut Ziegert, who is leading the dig said: “From the dating, its position and the details that we have found, I am sure that this is the palace.”
Ethiopian legends holds that the Ark was taken to the palace of the Queen of Sheba by King Solomon, the king of the Jews, after they fell in love. "

This is a great book for summer reading if you are interested in Ethiopia, history, as well as the biblical history of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

A Make-Up Birthday

Usually Zach likes to take a friend to the Tacoma Rainer's (minor league) baseball game for his birthday. Unfortunately, May 1 is usually too cold to attempt to drag 4+ kids down to Tacoma for a potential rain out. (Been there, done that!) We went last Friday, on the 75 degree day, and hung out in the $6 bleacher seats. They "ran with Rhubarb" (Mom, that was sooooo dumb), watched Friday night fireworks, and got autographs of the potential Mariner players.

Getting autographs........

Here is Tsion with the Moose, who she chased all night. After the game they had a fireworks show. As soon as the fireworks started, Tsion had a concerned look on her face...... she turned and asked "Mom, is God Burnt???" She was so concerned. My explanation, evidently was not good enough, because a few minutes later she asked "Is he hurt?"

Ashy

I am posting this, because my girlfriends blog is 3 months old...(hint-hint!) Yesterday there was an article in the local paper about her oldest Ethiopian son, who has been home since last February. We first met Ashy in Addis when we adopted Sami and Tsion last January. He is such a special kid! Here is a snippet....you can read the entire article HERE.

......."Carlson's turn for the worse started when Ashy's mother died at childbirth and his father soon after disappeared. His younger siblings were sent to an orphanage, but because he was nine he was told he was too old to join them. So he was on his own, swallowed up by the streets where thousands like him live.
For a boy of nine, Ashy had uncommon maturity to him. When he was shooed away from the orphanage, he sat down and decided he needed three things to survive. They were, he said, God, friends and a goal for his life.
"He told me that if he didn't have those goals, he would have gotten sick and died," Cathy Carlson said."

If you have a second, visit my girlfriends blog, and leave her a comment encouraging her to blog more about adoption and adopting older kids. ;)))

Asking Why.....

Please pray for Steven Curtis Chapman's family. Their 5 year old daughter was accidentally hit by a car in their driveway, driven by their son. She died en route to the hospital. We have been touched by their adoption story, and we also recieved a grant from their ministry Shaohannah's Hope. Pray for peace, especially for their son as they heal as a family.

Launching Ethiopia!

Tom Davis and Children's Hopechest is launching in Ethiopia! We are praying about being able to be a part of their journey, and possibly getting the orphanage in Legedadi involved. Check out what they are planning!!

Sami in Seattle!

Wednesday started off with a bang! I went on a field trip with Sami's class to Seattle. We walked on the ferry to Seattle at 9:30, and walked to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. This was really fun, and if you are in Seattle, stop in, it is FREE!

We then walked to this really neat spot in Seattle a couple blocks away, and had lunch. Then we headed to tour Underground Seattle. It was an ALL DAY event. I was exhausted! But, no time to rest, as Tsion had a track meet that night. It was fun meeting the kids in Sami's class and spending some one on one with Sami!

Track Meet

Proud Dad, who was timing!

Just so you know, it was Nana cheering. :) The funniest part of the afternoon, was when Tsion decided not to do the long jump. She didn't want to get sand in her shoes!!

Wild Bird Update

He is still here, Day 10. Even my indoor cat is bored watching him. If anyone has any suggestions on getting him to STOP attacking our windows, (especially at 5 AM) Please let me know. Covering the window will not help, he just goes to another. This is one bird I wish my cat would get!! :/

Sami in the Spotlight

Since Sami is new to public school, there are a lot of funny things going on. :) This week, they have 5 spelling words, that have to do with the Lewis and Clark unit they are studying. This week the words are moccasin, pirogue (I need to look that up!), tallow, Shoshone, and nomad. Sami likes to come home and try and stump me on the meanings. When he got to nomad, I said (in short) wanderer. His "predicted answer" was No Mad...."mom, it means not mad." His spelling sentence was Sacajawea was nomad. :) Gotta love him!

This was what his Mother's Day magnet said.....

"Thanks for Adapting Me."

Something to remember on days when "I hate you, I want to go home" echoes in my ears!!!

Beletu Melaku

This is Sami and Tsion's Mom with Tsion. I love this picture, she was so beautiful! Sami talks about her occasionally, Tsion doesn't remember much about her. Sami remembers Beletu cooking injera all day to sell to a hotel, and how hot and tired she would be. He also told me she would also guide his hand as he learned how to write. He remembers when she was sick and visits to the hospital.

Recently, Tsion wondered where my grandpa's mom was? I told her she was in heaven, with Beletu. I said that Beletu was teaching her how to make injera for Jesus. :) She loved that!!

Sometimes, it is too close, too special, to try and talk about their Mom with Sami. But I am so grateful they have pictures and memories of her to hold on to.

School Update

Sami is LOVING school. This week is teacher appreciation week, and here is what he wrote to his teacher. I love the fact he still gets his words reversed!

Dear Mrs. H,
I am very glad that I am in your class.
I very like this school.
Thanks for being my teacher.
Sami

One thing that drives him crazy is that the lunch ladies make him grab a milk with his lunch. He has hated milk since he came home... reason being that I do not let him dump a bunch of sugar it. (In case you are concerned, he does take a calcium supplement every day!) So I wrote a note on the back of his lunch card, excusing him from having milk. That led to a discussion on honesty, because he wanted me to write "Sami cannot have milk because he is allergic and will throw up."

The other day as everyone was talking after school he pipes up by saying...."There are too many girls in my class, I cannot choose a girlfriend." Oh MY! :) Glad he is not lacking in the self-esteem department.

Under Attack

So, 4 days ago a Dark Eyed Junco began flying into and attacking our window. It happens to be the window in the family room, where we spend all of our time, especially since Zach and I are sick. While it was funny the first day, it has quickly become very irritating. Especially when he chooses to tap on our bedroom window at 5:30 a.m. Tsion's solution is easy, "oh mom, let him in, he is so cute!"


I called the Audubon society, evidently he is guarding his territory against the enemy (read: his reflection) that he sees in the window. Don't you think it would get old and he would figure it out?? Who knows how long it will last....he is leaving behind a lot of bird p** on my porch!

Today, Lance had a meeting at home, and the sickies were sequestered in the bedroom. When we emerged, I laughed so hard, they had set up Senzero and an Ethiopian animal on the ledge, in hopes of "scaring" the bird away. Needless to say, it did not work.

Got Gobena?

I just ordered my Gobena Coffee! How could buying coffee be any better?? Fair trade, organic, shade grown, delivered to my front door! Plus, 100% of the profits are being reinvested in the lives of orphan children. Even if you are not a coffee drinker, now you should be! :)

My Baby is 11!

Zach turned 11 on May 1. Yes, I chose to be induced on this day to have a May Day baby. His lunch choice was Sawatdy's ( Thai food, my favorite!) then Lance took the boys putt-putting, while I got pizza and rented Alvin and the Chipmunks. Zach is starting to develop his Dad's sense of humor. Zach and I were talking about him being born 11 years ago, and cellphones. I told him that I had my first cell phone around the time he was born. This was his response:

"What were the names of the horses that drove your carriage mom?"

Thanks Zach!

This Girl Can Run!

I suspected last year that Tsion could run fairly well for her age. I had bought a jogger, so she could run with me. Since she had never been in a stroller it was a pretty cool thing! She was light enough, so it was no biggie. She started running with me, then when she was tired, she would hop back in the jogger. One day, she ran about 2 miles (as a 5 year old!) We have watched Haile's movie many times, and he is her hero.

This spring I signed her up for track. On the first warm up lap, she, in her brothers words, "smoked everyone." The kids are ages 6-14, and she was the first girl in, behind the boys (11-14). All I could do was sit back and laugh in amazement! She wasn't even breathing hard.

As I was researching Meseret Dafar, (she has adopted children, and frequently donates to orphanages) I came across this article, on girls in Ethiopia running for a better life. At the end, here is what one runner, Sercalem dreams of....

"When I dream," she said, "I see myself running so fast that I can bring us up from our living standards and buy all the girls of Ethiopia sneakers." I love that selfless comment, from someone who essentially has no material wealth.

I hope to post a video soon of Tsion "smoking everyone" if I can find a place to hide while I am filming. ;)

On A Water Kick

After I went to the fridge, to get my glass of water (pathetic, we never drink from the faucet!) I found another video. I thought I should bump down the laundry pic so I wouldn't embarrass my mom. :)

Surfing.......

Lance is gone for the weekend, so instead of doing laundry, (now my Mom will never come home from Palm Springs!)

I am catching up on the computer! I found this video on youtube. "Imagine if New York City's taps went dry. What would we do? Jennifer Connelly walks to Central Park to get dirty water for her family as millions of mothers in Africa do every day."

Back in January, in Addis, I traded water bottles with a little boy at a school. I cauldn't stand to see him drink out of his anymore. You can see the pix Here. Even the fact that these kids have a water bottle to carry around is a big deal. When we were on Entoto, kids were begging us for the plastic bottles, full or not. (They loved the fact one of my large bottles was frozen!) They use and reuse everything/anything, and you will see used bottles hanging in stores up and down the roads for sale.

You can make a difference. (think some of your rebate check!) at Barefootworld.org, or 1000wells.

Did you know that:

*"1 Billion very important people lack access to clean water. (Although we don't know them personally, are they really less valuable than we are?) They drink from polluted lakes and streams where animal waste, human waste, and parasites infect the water.
*Women and children walk 2 hours each way to fetch water (hauling dirty water back to their families.) They have no time or energy left for education or small business, and many of them die.
*Preventable water related diseases kill 4 children every minute.. Imagine if that many precious ones were dying in the U.S.!
*25,000 people lose their lives to water-related illnesses every single day."

***Source: 1000 wells

And for the record, I have made a signifigant dent in the pile above! :) Go ahead Mom, call the airlines, it's clean! (But, I am sure I will have another pile waiting for you when you get here!)

Call to Prayer

Can you believe, me, who sleeps in till 8 (now that I have 2 kiddos in school it is difficult!) actually misses the call to prayer at 5 AM? I love sitting there, praying and thinking about all those people around Addis, who are responding. What if Christians around the world had a Call to Prayer like the Muslims?? Check out this video, and think about it next time you are up around 5 A.M.

Tsion Studies Mars

Tsion's class has been working on their Space play for the last couple weeks. Today we got to watch, here is a snippet, for the grandparents!

Inside My Box of Books......

I got my Amazon order today! One of the books I ordered is Going Public. The authors are Young Life AD's in Western WA, and are the amazing parents to 8 kids. Besides being public school advocates, they also teach at parenting workshops. Everyone in the YL family goes to the Pritchards for parenting advice! :) Even if your kids are in public, private school or home-schooled, check out the Pritchard's website and the book!

Do You Like Jazz?

Ibsen Adoption Network is a foundation that gives grants to families in WA State who are adopting older children, kids with special needs, and sibling groups. Mindy Anderson has recorded a Jazz CD and is donating ALL the proceeds to help families bring their kids home. You can listen to some of her songs HERE, and you can read her story here! E-mail me of you are interested karleenmom@msn.com

Yohannes Gebregeorgis

Check out the article on CNN HERE

No Recess?

So, we have been talking with Zach about taking a couple classes next fall at the middle school (yes, you heard right, he is that old!) So, I was saying he could take math, science and P.E.
I was explaining what you do in P.E., and that is was kind of like recess. His response? "What??? There is no recess in Jr. High???" :))

The Plunge

Sami started school on Monday. Home school was not working for him......how can you home school a child that doesn't believe you when you tell him ANYthing!! I felt that he reached a place where his English is good, and he needed some space to learn and grow on his own. He calls it "a break from me". He LOVES it. Tsion is so excited to have her brother go to school with her!

WHY (the ? I have heard) are Sami and Tsion in school, and Zach and Josh are not? S and T are so different. Besides BEGGING to go to school, their lifestyle before coming was so different. They long to be surrounded by people all day. Plus, Sami really needed something to call his own. He has always been, (and always will be!) "one of the boys". He is currently on Zach's soccer team, and him and Josh are on the same baseball team. It will be nice to see him making some other friends outside our circle.

His biggest worry was being black. The school they attend is about 70% white, 20% Native American, 4% Asian, 3% Hispanic and 1% Black. (yes, it says black, not AA...and don't ask my why it only adds up to 98%!) Really, for where we are it is pretty diverse! He was also worried about being able to see the board in class. He was thinking back to school in Ethiopia, where he went thru 4 years of school being practically blind, and copying off his friends papers. It was hard to convince him that now his vision is almost perfect, and that wouldn't be problem anymore!

Monday night, after the first day, he said..."Mom, if I don't have Mrs. H next year, I am not going to school." So he loves his teacher!

I am so thankful for this school, and the amazing staff who truly love my kids!