Food shortages and an on going need across East Africa.

2009 has been a difficult year for the people of Mehal Meda, Ethiopia. Due to a series of bad harvests tens of thousands of people are facing unprecedented food shortages.

Among those worst affected by the food crisis are the children, with thousands malnourished and their health severely compromised. World Vision Programme Officer Alelign Mengiste, recalls, “The food crisis was worst and most shocking for the children under age 5; it was desolately worrying to see their situation.”

World Vision has a strong presence in Ethiopia, responding immediately to help these children and families in crisis. We have been able to supply emergency food supplies to 40,000 people as well as vital nutrition and treatment to nearly 6,000 children.

The situation in Mehal Meda and many other parts of East Africa is still desperate. Despite World Vision’s ongoing, intensive efforts to reach more severely affected people, the prolonged food shortage continues to threaten the health of children all over the region.

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Sixteen-month-old Richard Kapembwa will never know his twin brother Roderick.

Richard will grow up to discover he lost his twin brother from diarrhoea - a disease that could have easily been treated.

Richard was admitted along with his brother to Masamba Clinic in Mbala, 990km north of Zambia’s capital, Lusaka. But a chronic shortage of drugs to treat diarrhoea meant only one boy could be treated.

“Roderick would have survived like his brother if we had enough drugs for diarrhoea to treat both of them,” explained clinical assistant Joseph Bwali. “The boys were badly de-hydrated by the time they arrived at the clinic because the diarrhoea had hit them badly. We lost one child because we only had a single drip available.”

Richard is the youngest of his family’s six children. After three days with severe diarrhoea, he was weak, malnourished and without appetite. As a result, he was forced to drink a life-saving syrup of oral rehydration salts.

“We receive a lot of diarrhoea cases here, so we run out of the drugs we need very fast,” said Joseph. “World Vision has been helping greatly with such drugs. In fact the last drugs that we had for diarrhoea at this clinic were provided by World Vision."

World Vision Uganda’s Sylvia Nabanoba spent an anxious day with Stella Nyangoma and her toddler John as they waited for him to be treated for diarrhoea.

Two-year-old John Mutegeki is very sick. He is vomiting and has diarrhoea. His mother Stella Nyangoma (21) tries to soothe him, but he is in a lot of pain and crying. They are waiting to see a nurse at the government-run health unit.

“I am worried about him. He is my only child. I want him to be fine,” Nyangoma says, her voice breaking.

When John is finally seen by nurse Cecilia Kabaguma, she is concerned. “He is very dehydrated. His skin is elastic. “His palms and feet are also yellowish, a sign that he is anaemic.”

She admits John for observation. He will be given Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) to help restore lost fluids.

“Diarrhoea should be treated immediately with rehydration salts. If there is any delay, the dehydration will worsen, which can lead to death." Cecilia explains.

Diarrhoea is the second leading cause of child death worldwide.

It kills more than half a million African children each year.

Unfortunately, there is only one sachet of ORS left in the clinic. Stock shortages are a national problem.

This means John’s parents will have to find money for the rest of the treatment. But his parents can only afford about three more sachets costing around 15 pence.

 The good news is that nurse Cecilia knows John will be fine.

“When you brought him, he could not move, but he is now trying. He will be okay,” she assures John’s mother.

The availability of drugs is often considered the most important element in the quality of health care in rural Africa. However health units in many parts of Uganda suffer frequent shortages.

John receives Oral Rehydration Salts to combat diarrhoea