“ I believe this time will pass and I will work again”: Abebech's story

Enhancing food security for families affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abebech, 30, lives in Addis Abeba. She used to make enough money to provide food, clothing and housing for her family. Her husband is a daily labourer and used to earn good income before the Coronavirus pandemic paralized the business sector. Abebech’s family was identified as one of the poorest of poor familes affected by the pandemic for cash support through the Emergency Food Assistance for House Holds Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic in Major Cities project implemented by Save the Children and funded by USAID. The cash support will be provided to 4,429 households across Addis Abeba for six months so they can buy food and cover essential expenses.

Abebech’s story in her own words (quotes):

“My name is Abebech Moges. I am a mother of two children. My daughter Yabsira is eight and my son Ermias is one year old.

I used to work as a cook in a private house and earn 2,000 Birr per month. When I was pregnant with Ermias, I left my job to stay at home. Since then we depended on my husband’s income. My husband is a daily labourer. Since the Coronavirus pandemic, he could not get enough money to  support us. I had to take Yabsira to stay with my mother at Debre Markos town (about 300 km from Addis Abeba) because life was getting hard and feeding our kids and paying rent became extremely difficult . We moved out of that house recently  because we could not affored to pay the rent for four months. Now we are in a new house and lived there for a month. We still have no money to pay for rent and I know the owners will soon tell us to leave.

If it was like the old times, I could carry my child and get work like washing cloths at people’s houses. Now its hard to get this kind of work with a child because of the Coronavirus.

Our former landlord made the registration to this project on my behalf as soon as he heard the news that there is support for  poor families like mine at our Woreda. Today, (August 7, 2020), I am here at the Bole sub city to collect my bank book for the cash support.

Our immediate needs are food, including Teff (a grain and mainingredient used to prepare enjera, Ethiopian staple food) and pay rent. If the cash I get from this project is enough, I will pay my rent and buy food. If it is not enough for both, I will just buy food with it.

I believe this time will pass, my son will grow up  and I will be able to work again. Then I will bring my daughter to live with us."

What Save the Children doing to help Abebech and others  like her:

Save the Children, through its Emergency Food Assistance for House Holds Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic in Six Major Cities project will provide cash for the poorest of poor families for six months. This support will enable families to buy food.

The project is funded by USAID with a budget of nine million USD for six months. The project aims to increase household access and consumption of diverse nutritious food. It will be implemented in Addis Abeba, Adama, Dire Dawa, Jigjiga, Hawassa and Bahirdar, reaching 29,035 households.