Hunger will not give time

 

Let’s do our share to save our Ethiopian children!

A Message from ESFNA & Concerned Ethiopians

 

Press Release | June 29, 2008

 

As you all know, several news media, both local and international, have recently reported that millions of Ethiopians in the South and Eastern part of the country are threatened by hunger, due to severe drought and subsequently food shortage. The absence of seasonal rainfall coupled with unprecedented food price hike that gripped Ethiopia in particular and the world at large, have adversely impacted our country, particularly the rural farmers and herdsmen, who have a precarious life to begin with, due to their meagre resources.   

 

Once again, unfortunately, our people are exposed to a serious danger that has a potential to be yet another human catastrophe, unless immediately averted. The most vulnerable victims of this potential catastrophe are, of course, the children, who lack adequate resistance to withstand the severe malnutrition and hunger that consumes them every day, by the hour.  The clock to save our innocent children is ticking, sounding a loud alarm! Our Ethiopian children are silently crying for help!

 

This is the time when we all Ethiopians should unite as responsible citizens, tied by the love for our people and our beautiful country. Let’s put aside our differences, in particular the seemingly endless political squabbles and strife, at least for now, and save our people. We should pull our full energy and resources to save our people, in particular the innocent children who are helpless and weak to cope with this gathering human tragedy. We should not waste time endlessly debating to bisect and decipher the main cause of the current hunger, whether it is natural, cultural, economic or instinctively political. We will have plenty of time to discuss those issues, appropriately so; to hopefully figure out once and for all and unlock the mystery of our continued misery. We may someday discover the magic formula that will enable us to curb our country’s dependency on the mercy of nature and foreign hands, which seem to be with us forever.

 

Meanwhile, we urge you to focus for now, on saving our helpless children! We shouldn’t be tired of feeling our country’s anguish, however painful and frustrating it is. We shouldn’t be worried about the stigma of starvation on our faces and lose our focus and determination to help our people. If we unite and correct our set backs, surely we will find a permanent solution to our chronic crisis. But, it seems we are racing with time. We have no choice, except to work hard to seek the solutions to our poverty, chronic shame and degradation.

 

We need to tap on the rich perseverance and patience of our strong people, who always show dignity even amidst harsh conditions and facing death. We shouldn’t be selfish and turn our faces to avoid seeing the sunken eyes and bare skeletons of our starving children and their grieving mothers. Let’s hope it will not be broadcast all over the world once again on TV and the Internet. If we are determined and act swiftly and decisively, we can avert this shame and disgrace, which tests our nerves, and makes our beautiful country synonymous with hunger. We need to mobilize our resources and reach out to our people.

 

We should be courageous, calm, and keen and do what we need to do, contribute our share to help our beloved country, which once again is unfortunately caught in adversity. We shouldn’t love our country only when it is happy and joyful. We should continue to love and stand with it when it is suffering as well, to feel its pains and help her overcome.  Together, we can make a difference. Let’s act fast!

 

We at ESFNA appeal to your conscience to do what you can to save our children, sooner than later, before the real disaster strikes and exert its tolls. Recognizing this urgent need, ESFNA in cooperation with concerned ordinary Ethiopians has planned a fund raising event for the drought victims, our Ethiopian children. On the occasion of our 25^th anniversary in Washington, D.C. we are planning a fund raising campaign in one of the most favored events of the week-long festival i.e. “Ethiopia Day”.

 

We urge you to come and help us make this fund raising event successful, to save our people, in particular our innocent children, from hunger and death. They are the hopes of our country’s future.  We also like to inform you that we are planning to hand in the collected fund to a well known and a highly regarded independent, non-profit voluntary organization, which has managed to win the hearts and minds of many Ethiopians, by reaching out in times like this, and routinely fighting poverty in our country. We are planning to announce this organization and the amount of collected fund, before the end of our festival.

 

If you need any additional information about the fund raising event or would like to participate in organization and other activities for the event, please contact Girma Tamiru at girmatam@juno.com. You are also welcome to visit our website www.esfna.org, for additional information.

 

Together, we can make a difference! Let’s unite and save our children!

 

ESFNA & Concerned Ethiopians