Ms. Abadi is currently living at an informal settlement in the Shabelle zone with her seven children and her mother-in-law, Ms. Barkhado, alongside hundreds of others displaced by the drought. Dr. Mahamed Sheh, Medical Director of the Gode General Hospital, said, “We noticed an increase in maternal and newborn deaths in the last months. Like millions of others, Ms. Abadi’s only source of income has evaporated as fast as her hope. The gruelling trek to access maternal and reproductive health servicesIn the Somali region alone, some 930,000 people need emergency and reproductive health support and more than 565,000 people have reduced access to protection services, including women, children and survivors of gender-based violence. The UNFPA Humanitarian Response Appeal 2022 is calling for nearly $24 million to strengthen the health system and build back the capacities of maternal and reproductive health services in the Somali and seven other crisis-affected regions in the country.

Source: Ethiopian News May 31, 2022 12:21 UTC