ETHIOPIA / DROUGHT

UNICEF is saving lives in drought-prone areas of eastern Ethiopia through a Community-Based Nutrition Programme (CBN) that aims to thwart malnutrition, promotes exclusive breastfeeding and meets with mothers and their babies once a month to monitor their children's growth. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:00
• Production Date: 4 August 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: HEALTH; NUTRITION
• Geographic Subject: ETHIOPIA
• MAMS Id: U110804c

Description

STORY: ETHIOPIA / DROUGHT
TRT: 3:05
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / AFAR OROMO / NATS

DATELINE: 8-13 JULY 2011, DEDER, ETHIOPIA

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, group of mothers sitting on the ground outside of a hut
2. Close up, two mothers talking to each other
3. Close up, other mothers in group
4. Close up, mother and infant daughter
5. SOUNDBITE (Afar Oromo) Kasim Jibral, Community Health Worker:
“Today we are doing growth monitoring. We weigh the children to identify malnutrition which may not be visible to the eye.”
6. Wide shot, mother putting her baby in sack to be weighed, health worker holding scale
7. Close up, UNICEF weight scale
8. Wide shot, mother looking on while health worker is weighing her baby
9. Med shot, mother sitting with health worker as he goes over with her and writes down her baby’s progress
10. Close up, side shot mother talking with health worker
11. SOUNDBITE (Afar Oromo) Adise Gezahegn, Mother:
“When I had my first and second children, I didn’t have this knowledge. I waited before starting to breastfeed. But with the third and fourth child I started breastfeeding immediately.”
12. Med shot, health worker walking through village speaking into megaphone
13. Wide shot, group of women sitting outside of hut
14. Med shot, health worker pointing at chart
15. Wide shot, health worker showing chart to large group of women outside
16. Med shot, mothers listening
17. Close up, mother asking question
18. Close up, mother making comment
19. SOUNDBITE (Afar Oromo) Tibebu Abera, Father:
“Prior to this we would refuse to hold our babies thinking that would make a mess on us. We considered it mother’s work. But following the community conversation, we are now taking care of our children.”
20. Wide shot, woman getting her child weighed
21. Med shot, health worker going over paperwork with mother
22. SOUNDBITE (Afar Oromo) Kasim Jibral, Community Health Worker:
“Before we started weighing the children the number of children dying in this area was very high. It would not be long after one mourning tent for a child came down before another died and we had to set up the tent again. There was even an area set aside just for burying children. Now the number of child deaths has gone down significantly.”
23. Med shot, man picking through field
24. Med shot, man walking through field
25. Med shot, mother cooking in her hut
26. Med shot, mother and children indoors
27. Med shot, mother breastfeeding baby
28. Close up, mother and baby

Storyline

Once a month mothers in Chancho village in eastern Ethiopia bring their babies to a mobile health clinic. The district is prone to drought and the rains started late this year, so malnutrition is a constant concern.

SOUNDBITE (Afar Oromo) Kasim Jibral, Community Health Worker:
“Today we are doing growth monitoring. We weigh the children to identify malnutrition which may not be visible to the eye.”

Adise Gezahegn brings her youngest child Beza to be weighed and is relieved to discover that her infant is growing at a satisfactory rate.

Health workers have told Adise to exclusively breastfeed her youngest child, which is contributing to the baby’s good health.

SOUNDBITE (Afar Oromo) Adise Gezahegn, Mother:
“When I had my first and second children, I didn’t have this knowledge. I waited before starting to breastfeed. But with the third and fourth child I started breastfeeding immediately.”

The day after the monthly clinic, volunteer health workers use megaphones to call villagers to a community meeting.

Health workers show parents the charts they have drawn up which show how their children are faring. This is an opportunity for parents to raise any concerns about child rearing. At this meeting, mothers say that their husbands don’t do enough around the house.

SOUNDBITE (Afar Oromo) Tibebu Abera, Father:
“Prior to this we would refuse to hold our babies thinking that would make a mess on us. We considered it mother’s work. But following the community conversation, we are now taking care of our children.”

The UNICEF-supported Community Based Nutrition Programme was begun by the Ethiopian government to help the districts particularly hard hit by the drought of 2008.

SOUNDBITE (Afar Oromo) Kasim Jibral, Community Health Worker:
“Before we started weighing the children the number of children dying in this area was very high. It would not be long after one mourning tent for a child came down before another died and we had to set up the tent again. There was even an area set aside just for burying children. Now the number of child deaths has gone down significantly.”

Although the land is green the late rains have delayed this year’s harvest, this community can only wait to see how much food they will have.

But through the community programme, Adise has learned how to use her resources to provide nutritious meals for her family. As drought once again grips the Horn of Africa, UNICEF support for this community means they will get early, life saving treatment when any problems arise.