Flowers in bloom: support 40 abused kids, Ethiopia

The impact of Covid-19 over the Ethiopian population and in general in the Horn of Africa has been less disastrous as thought up to now. The World Health Organization has registered more than 277thousand Covid cases with more than 4thousand deaths from January 2020 to July 2021. One of the reasons why this part of Africa has been less hit is the young average age, which is about 17 years old. However, the healthcare system of the country is always uncertain, protection devices are lacking and for many people it is difficult to follow restrictions like the one that prohibits to leave the house – in particular for the poorest because this means not to have the possibility to work.

From and economic point of view, despite the stunning growth of the Gross Domestic Product in the last decade, Ethiopia founds itself in a condition of fragile social and economic development. The gap between the richest and the poorest part of the population is getting wider and employment rate does not keep up with the demographic growth.

In the meantime, last November the government sent the army in the Tigray region, in the north of the country – because of the ongoing revolt of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). After eight months the rebels of Tigray are controlling a great part of the northern region. The defeats of the Ethiopian army as well as of the Prime Minister Abiy led to local, regional and national consequences. This war led to a humanitarian disaster, with 7 million people forced to migrate to Sudan or in other neighbor countries. Prompt aids are needed, but they are blocked and there is a total lack of security.

Fortunately, out project “Flowers in Bloom” is set in the capital Addis Abeba and not in the north of the country. Initially, because of the pandemic, all group activities (workshops and group meetings) had been suspended. Just individual workshops continued, as well as the activities in the Foster Home.

At the moment, all the activities of the project have restarted in compliance with preventive Covid-19 measures:

• COUNSELLING CENTER: in the counselling center the number of sessions of therapy has increased during last months because children in particular from 10 years old have requested more frequent meetings. Furthermore, it has been possible to provide psychological support also to the 19 families of the children included in the project in order to give them the tools to face their children’s rehab once come back home. Two visits were organized to the homes of some families to ensure that the reintegration of children took place in peace.
• THERAPEUTIC WORKSHOPS:  workshops complementary to psychotherapeutic cares, making all the activities that support sexually assaulted minors more effective. Children can acquire a better self-esteem and recover trust in adults. Moreover, children get in touch with other minors with similar backgrounds and problems, sharing the rehab program.

We want to truly thank all the donors that keep on supporting the project, that allow us to help our “Flowers in bloom”!

Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economy in the region; it is nevertheless one of the poorest. The country has been experiencing the worst locust invasion in decades, which is threatening food security and livelihoods of millions of Ethiopians. Moreover, like the rest of the world, Ethiopia has been experiencing the unprecedented social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Until now confirmed cases are 217.000 with 3000 deaths (World Health Organization data). According to the World Bank the main consequences for the country will be an increase in food prices, in unemployment and in poverty, which will hit the most vulnerable part of the population.

However, this is not enough to describe the current instable conditions in which the Ethiopian population and many children live nowadays. The emerging conflict between Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), an armed paramilitary organization, which is rising up in the north of the country, is worsening the scenario. The news that are bringing us our local referents do nothing but feed our concerns. Last year the Ethiopian minister decided to postpone the elections because of the pandemic. The Liberation Front of Tigray strongly opposed the postponement of the elections, organized an election in its region, leading to a military offensive of the Ethiopian government and reopening the armed clashes not only in Ethiopia, but also in Eritrea. Thus now Ethiopian people find themselves among the inhumane acts that the Tigray movement is carrying out in the north of the country and the armed response of the Federal Government.

The Federal Government has declared the state of emergency and it is restricting telephone and internet communications, in particular in the north of the country; for this reason it is harder to get in touch with our local partners. The activities planned by the project “Flowers in bloom” are continuing, despite the strong limitations due to COVID-19 and the ongoing conflicts. The staff keeps working in compliance with anti-contagion regulations, social distancing and using medical devices. Our local partners are working to make the foster home a place in which children victim of violence can always find a safety, protection and immediate care.
Thanks to your support  we are helping these children to obtain the peaceful future they deserve.
We want to thank all the people that are lending a helping hand to our “Flowers in bloom”!