A helping hand: Abuu’s story of resilience

Above: Abuu with her youngest child. Cash support through the AHP response in Ethiopia is helping her family get essentials, such as food, amid a devastating drought. Photo: Hassan Adow/Save the Children Ethiopia

Abuu is a 33-year-old mother who used to be a farmer. She now resides in a camp for Internally Displaced People (IDP) located in the Somali region of Ethiopia.

Abuu is struggling to raise her three girls and one son. Before the drought, Abuu’s family relied on a herd of 93 goats and sheep (27 of whom provided milk) as their primary source of income. Abuu used her livestock for various purposes, including selling their milk or the animals themselves to fund household requirements and other basic needs. However, the prolonged drought in the area caused her animals to die and has made life difficult for this mother, so much so that she now finds it challenging to feed her children daily.

"It was one of the most severe droughts that I have witnessed in my lifetime, sweeping away all our livestock,” Abuu says. “Initially, my family had enough [goats and sheep] to sustain our lives but now my children are only receiving one meal a day as a result [of the drought].”

Abuu’s husband, who initially managed their livestock, sought support from relatives as he grappled with unemployment in the village he lives in.

Ethiopia is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts, following five consecutive bad rainy seasons. Drought has affected 24.1 million people including 12.6 million children in Ethiopia and of these, 10.6 million people need urgent food assistance. 4.5 million children are already on the brink of starvation.

After being screened using cash selection criteria, Abuu and her family were selected by Save the Children to receive a multipurpose cash grant of 7,700 birr ($206 AUD) through Awash Bank.

She says, “I have received the first round of cash assistance with a total Birr 7,700 birr that enabled me to increase our daily meal up to two times.” Abuu's face lit up with happiness as she accepted the money and thanked the donors for helping her feed her starving children.

The mother spent her payment on necessities for her family, including food and clothing for her children. She is scheduled to receive a further two cash grants to help her family get through this difficult time.

1,611 other households in Moyale have received a 7,700 birr multi-purpose cash grant for a period as part of an integrated livelihood response from Save the Children International, supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership.