By Adérito Bié
Andarieta Titosse, 40 years old, is a widow and mother of three children. Her youngest child is less than seven months old. When Nércia was born, she weighed only two kilogram. During the pregnancy, Andarieta Titosse had hardly anything to eat, and there were days she could not sleep because of hunger. After the birth of her baby very few things changed. When Nércia turned four months, she only weighed two kilograms. Andarieta has been struggling to survive for three years, but since last year the El Niño induced drought has caused all of her harvests to fail.
“I was hospitalized for one month. I was so afraid my baby would die. The doctor told me she was in a critical state”, says Andarieta Titosse (Photo: Johanna Mitscherlich)
She provides her children with what is available in the woods. They collect wild leaves and fruits such as cacana and tindhzulo. For Andarieta the long walks with the baby in her arms are exhausting. She could not breastfeed her child throughout the first six months of his life, as she herself had nothing to eat. "I knew I should breastfeed my baby, but as I had no food I was unable to produce milk," Andarieta says in a cry of despair. Nercia’s two older siblings, eight and eleven years old, were born healthy.
With the help of CARE volunteers, Andarieta’s baby was taken to Funhalouro health center. The doctors knew there was no time to waste, as the child was suffering from severe chronic malnutrition. "I was hospitalized for one month. I was so afraid my baby would die. The doctor told me she was in a critical state”, explains Andarieta.
In Funhalouro health center recorded 55 cases of women with severely acutely malnourished children since last year. Due to the drought, the mothers do not have enough to eat. According to the UN, around 100,000 children are in risk of being acutely malnourished over the next months, as drought and food insecurity are hitting mothers and their children the hardest.
Now, Andarieta receives milk to save her child’s life in the hospital every month.''We know that we should breastfeed our infants, and it is important that these messages are disseminated. But my challenge is to have enough to eat to be able to have milk to give to my child. This is the worst drought I have ever seen in my life,” says Andarieta. In the past months, she has also received food assistance from CARE. "The food fair took place at a time when I was in great need of help. I'm getting milk in the hospital for my baby, but the doctors told me I have to feed myself in order to be able to breastfeed. Last month, my baby weighed seven kilos, and I am very happy to finally see my son smile and recover, "she said. During the food fair, Andarieta bought flour, rice, oil, sugar and peanuts. She says she will be able to cover her family’s food needs for about two months with food obtained at the fair. It will help in the development of the child. "I hope that this drought will soon end, and I don’t have to worry about my children’s health anymore,” she says.
Read more about the El Niño drought crisis in Southern Africa here.