4 years and 9 kilos

(ES)

© John Ndiku/OCHA

According to WFP, the situation in the Horn of Africa is as follows:

• Drought in the Horn of Africa, coupled with conflict in Somalia, has affected over 13 million people. 

• On 5 September, the UN announced that the famine in southern Somalia had spread to the Bay region. There was already famine in  Lower and Middle Shabelle, parts of Banadir and parts of Bakool.

• WFP operations in the region require US$767 million for the next six months. The budget shortfall, taking into account pledges and confirmed contributions, is US$215 million.

According to UNICEF, in the words of Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director:

"The situation is terrible now.  Tens of thousands of people have already died. More than 300,000 children across the region are severely malnourished and at imminent risk of dying.

In Somalia alone, 1.4 million children are affected by this crisis.

Already, we estimate that 390,000 children in Somalia are suffering from malnutrition; 4/5 of whom are in the central south zone.  In some areas there, we are seeing historically high rates of severe acute malnutrition, which means that the number of children in that zone facing imminent death is approaching 140,000."

After reading these figures I have only read one that moves me even more:

4 years and 9 kilos

That is the age and weight of Natuso¹, a girl literally starving in Benassar Children's Hospital in Mogadishu.

If Natuso survives, she may suffer infibulation, she will never go to school, before reaching adolescence her father will agree on a marriage with a neighbor or relative. Until the wedding ceremony, she will remain a virgin, any suspicion of the opposite would be a dishonor to her family and her parents and siblings would have to satisfy the future husband with his fiancee's death.

In a country like Somalia, after more than 20 years of war, with armed militias out of control raping and looting in its path, Natuso might be raped, and therefore repudiated by her family. Will not be easy for her to live alone with her son engendered after have been raped. And if she decides to abort, her life would be jeopardized by the poor conditions in which these interventions are practiced.

Probably, Natuso will live  in the most absolute poverty and discriminated against by being born a girl. Although she recovers this time, it is likely that in a few months gets back to be admitted again. Perhaps a more serious illness that she was never vaccinated, or gunshot wound in one of the frequent shootings in the capital.

The only good owned by Natuso is her own life. And despite all the suffering and pain of a life of extreme poverty and uncertain future, she strives to fight with all the strength that her frail body allows in order to escape from death.

Natuso has discovered, no doubt, a powerful reason to continue living in a totally hostile world to her. She probably could not understand how we, the inhabitants of "first world" rich and civilized, we are not able to find million reasons to help them. However, I'm sure she, in his infinite love for life, endowed with the strength and resilience characteristic of the millions of women and girls suffering in the world, has forgiven us for our indifference and will live, just like me and many others, with the hope of a more humane and egalitarian world for herself and her children.



¹The average weight of a 4 years old girl is 15.5 kilos.

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