MUNRIA Zien had lost all hope as she arrived at the clinic carrying her lifeless son.
Four year-old Adild had already been treated for severe malnutrition in two hospitalswithout success.
And it seemed certain the 40-mile journey by bus, horse and cart from the district of Halaba to Hosanna, southern Ethiopia, would be his last.
Munria, 32, said: “The child was listless, there was no movement, response or anything.
“His eyes were closed and he couldn’t open his mouth. He was like a dead body.”
When we met two days later frail Adild was sitting on his mum’s knee.
He was back from the brink but only just.
The watery fluid which caused his legs to swell was gone, leaving his skin dry and flaky.
Adild was still too weak to swat away the flies that landed on his eyelids, up to three at a time.
But what struck me most was the sadness etched on his face.
It was truly heartbreaking and I didn’t want to even think how long it had been since he last laughed.
Taza health centre, which is run by nuns and funded by SCIAF, is on the frontline of the food crisis.
In the coming months it will be stretched to the limit as staff try to save kids like Adild from an early grave.
The toddler is just one of 20million Ethiopians – almost a quarter of the population – facing chronic food shortages this year.
The government have warned the cost of preventing thousands from starving to death could reach £416million.
When the rains failed last summer Sister Celine Louise, of the Maids of the Poor, co-ordinated the treatment of 350 undernourished children a month.
On a daily basis people also report to the clinic for surgery, ranging from the removal of cysts and cataracts to caesarean sections.
The first patient I met had given birth to a boy during the night.
Zeadech Berhanu beamed with joy as Sister Celine told us: “No mother should die giving life.”
But as we entered the nearby malnutrition clinic I soon realised the most pressing challenge in drought-ravaged Ethiopia is preserving life.
Wall charts detailed the criteria for priority admission – symptoms include lethargy, fluid retention and diarrhoea – as well as the different phases of treatment.
The progress of patients is measured on a grubby set of scales which were propped against the wall outside next to a height rod.
Adild’s diet had stunted his growth so much that he could have easily passed for a two year-old. Only when the nurse produced his file and pointed to the last four digits of his date of birth – 2011 – did I believe he was really four.
Munria walks two hours every day to fetch water and the family typically get by on a diet of roasted wheat and bread.
But this year their land only yielded 100kg of maize and it has become a daily struggle to put food on the table.
When Adild fell ill he was admitted to two government-run clinics in the space of a month.
Munria said: “When I was in hospital they were giving him injections everywhere but they did not give him milk.
“Sometimes the child was vomiting, sometimes he was digesting but he was not improving.”
The mum-of-two heard about Taza health centre from neighbours and, as Adild’s condition deteriorated, realised it was her only option.
She added: “I had to leave my one year-old son at home because this one was going to die. The first time I sat on the bus I had a fear about what would happen. If the child died I would not be allowed to take his body home on the bus.
“I was afraid and I never thought the child would reach this stage.”
Adild’s treatment included antibiotics, ointment to calm swelling on his groin and regular feeds.
Munria said: “Day by day he is improving and I am happy now. He’s taking the cup and drinking.”
Before we left Adild was given one of his four daily doses of milk.
It was a joyous sight as he grabbed the green plastic mug with both hands and his face disappeared behind it.
As he guzzled the contents, Sister Celine joked: “The dead body is drinking! This is magic milk.”
Afterwards Munria shared her dream that her son will one day go to school.
But she also acknowledged Adild’s fate is inextricably linked to Ethiopia’s extreme climate. She admitted: “If there is no rain this year then I am afraid about what I am going to do.”
Amina's story
Amina Nunje’s twins are only three years-old but they have already been hospitalised with malnutrition four times.
It is a grim statistic and staff privately fear Fatima and Laila will be lucky to survive childhood.
Their ordeal brings back painful memories for Amina, who lost a son in 2011.
She said: “The baby was five months old. I didn’t have enough milk in my breast then I was sick with typhoid.
“I was admitted to a clinic and the baby died. I did not know he had died as I was in a critical situation at the time.
“I cried when I found out and I was very sad but what could I do? I was not capable of looking after myself.”
Global warming has made the weather in developing countries, such as Ethiopia, more unpredictable.
Droughts used to be once a lifetime events but they now occur every two or three years.
And the consequences have been catastrophic for many families.
The road to Taza clinic from Halaba is now painfully familiar for Amina, 28, and her twin girls.
She said: “When I was at home I never slept because the babies cried all night. They didn’t have enough food and their stomachs were empty.
“When we arrived here their legs were very swollen and they were malnourished.”
History also repeated itself as Amina was diagnosed with typhoid.
She said: “Unless I came to this health centre I swear I would have lost my two children. My life was also in danger.
“May God bless the staff who saved me and my two daughters.”
Amina’s husband grows maize and teff, an indigenous crop, but the last two harvests have failed.
She said: “Ten years ago, when I was young, the situation was good because there was no erratic rainfall at that time.
“In the last six years there has been so much fluctuation in the weather. There has either been too much rain or too little rain. That affects the crops.”
The first dry season started in November and ends this month. The cycle then turns to the rainy season (March to May); dry (June to August); and, finally, a second rainy season (September to November).
Amina was supported by seven year-old daughter, Jamila, who helped her to look after the twins.
As well treating the mum-of-five staff are also teaching her how to prepare food for young children. But the lessons may ultimately prove fruitless as the family require the basic means to survive in the first place.
Amina added: “My income is based on agriculture but agriculture is failing due to lack of rainfall.
“The situation is critical and I don’t know what will happen in the future.
“I worry that the next season will be very hard because there will be no rain and no crops.”
Food crisis looms in Africa 32 years on from famine
MOST Scots associate Ethiopia with the devastating famine which inspired Live Aid.
But the country has been transformed since 1984 and the government and aid agencies are already planning for the worst case scenario.
Last year Taza clinic struggled to cope with the demand and the number of malnourished children requiring treatment is expected to soar again this year.
SCIAF director Alistair Dutton said: “We are working with the church in Hosanna to help malnourished babies have the food they need to stay alive and recover.
“We also work with families to help them provide for themselves and their children, by giving them cattle, seeds, farming tools and training. This life-saving work wouldn’t be possible without the generous donations from people in Scotland.”
Last year SCIAF marked their 50th anniversary by raising £3.4million through the WEE BOX appeal.
It encourages people to give up something for the 40 days of Lent and then donate the money saved.
The final total was boosted by Aid Match funding from the Department for International Development.
And with the Daily Record’s support the charity have secured the lucrative deal for a second year in a row.
That means every £1 donated to SCIAF’s WEE BOX appeal between February 5 and May 4 will be doubled by the UK Government.
● To donate please visit www.theweebox.org, call 0141 354 5555 or email: sciaf@sciaf.org.uk.
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