"Images by Caroline Trutmann" (by Caroline Trutmann)

Berhane's 20 minute-old son, wrapped in a warm blanket after being delivered by nurse Adau Mengistu in Mekaneselam's Health Centre, South Wollo Zone, Amahara Region, Ethiopia. Carried on a stretcher by family members and neighbours, Berhane arrived at 5:00 am to the health centre and half an hour later gave birth to her third child. In Ethiopia many women don't have access to skilled delivery care, only 6% of women give birth in a medical institution. Mekaneselam Health Centre has no capacity to handle complications during labour and refers these cases to the nearest District Hospital, which is a four-hour-drive away. When an expectant mother is referred to the District Hospital, families have to pay in advance 1,230 Birr (approx. Â£50) to cover the costs of transportation. Transport problems, the cost of getting to a health centre and the convenience of travelling are among the major causes for women not accessing skilled assistance during childbirth.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:45:24 +0000

Berhane's 20 minute-old son, wrapped in a warm blanket after being delivered by nurse Adau Mengistu in Mekaneselam's Health Centre, South Wollo Zone, Amahara Region, Ethiopia. Carried on a stretcher by family members and neighbours, Berhane arrived at 5:00 am to the health centre and half an hour later gave birth to her third child. In Ethiopia many women don't have access to skilled delivery care, only 6% of women give birth in a medical institution. Mekaneselam Health Centre has no capacity to handle complications during labour and refers these cases to the nearest District Hospital, which is a four-hour-drive away. When an expectant mother is referred to the District Hospital, families have to pay in advance 1,230 Birr (approx. Â£50) to cover the costs of transportation. Transport problems, the cost of getting to a health centre and the convenience of travelling are among the major causes for women not accessing skilled assistance during childbirth.
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Yelfign, 58, holds out a handful of grains mixed with sand that she managed to recover after her village was destroyed by floods on July 10th, Kobo Woreda, North Wollo zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Yelfign says: "It all happened on a midnight. I just ran to save my life, I didn't take anything with me. My house was destroyed, all the property is gone, there's nothing left for me. All my belongings including my crops were destroyed by the floods. After the floods, I went back and tried to collect what was left of them on the ground but this is not usable anymore. I have never experienced such a disaster in m life." Ethiopia has had continuous decreased rainfall since 2007. In 2009 rains failed completely, destroying harvests and forcing families to look for alternative ways of generating income in order to feed their children. This year rains have improved but in areas of North Wollo there have been heavy rains which have caused floods and destroyed villages. Farmers say they have never seen such strong rains in 27 years. North Wollo is a low-land area with mountains where the only cultivable land is at the foot of the hills. Deforestation has turned the land barren and there are high levels of soil erosion.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:47:21 +0000

Yelfign, 58, holds out a handful of grains mixed with sand that she managed to recover after her village was destroyed by floods on July 10th, Kobo Woreda, North Wollo zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Yelfign says: "It all happened on a midnight. I just ran to save my life, I didn't take anything with me. My house was destroyed, all the property is gone, there's nothing left for me. All my belongings including my crops were destroyed by the floods. After the floods, I went back and tried to collect what was left of them on the ground but this is not usable anymore. I have never experienced such a disaster in m life." Ethiopia has had continuous decreased rainfall since 2007. In 2009 rains failed completely, destroying harvests and forcing families to look for alternative ways of generating income in order to feed their children. This year rains have improved but in areas of North Wollo there have been heavy rains which have caused floods and destroyed villages. Farmers say they have never seen such strong rains in 27 years. North Wollo is a low-land area with mountains where the only cultivable land is at the foot of the hills. Deforestation has turned the land barren and there are high levels of soil erosion.
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Nine-month-old Harmela learns how to walk in a school where her family is taking temporary refuge after floods destroyed their village 15 days ago, North Wollo, Amhara Region, Ethiopia.    Ethiopia has had continuous decreased rainfall since 2007. In 2009 rains failed completely, destroying harvests and forcing families to look for alternative ways of generating income in order to feed their children. This year rains have improved but in areas of North Wollo there have been heavy rains which have caused floods and destroyed villages. Farmers say they have never seen such strong rains in 27 years. North Wollo is a low-land area with mountains where the only cultivable land is at the foot of the hills. Deforestation has turned the land barren and there are high levels of soil erosion.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:48:08 +0000

Nine-month-old Harmela learns how to walk in a school where her family is taking temporary refuge after floods destroyed their village 15 days ago, North Wollo, Amhara Region, Ethiopia.    Ethiopia has had continuous decreased rainfall since 2007. In 2009 rains failed completely, destroying harvests and forcing families to look for alternative ways of generating income in order to feed their children. This year rains have improved but in areas of North Wollo there have been heavy rains which have caused floods and destroyed villages. Farmers say they have never seen such strong rains in 27 years. North Wollo is a low-land area with mountains where the only cultivable land is at the foot of the hills. Deforestation has turned the land barren and there are high levels of soil erosion.
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A woman cleaning 'teff', a staple food in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 80% of people live on less than a day. In North Wollo rains have been decreasing in the past three years and in 2009 many communities in this region faced complete drought and lost all their crops which forced many people to migrate in search of food. Food prices increased and many families had to sell their livestock in order to buy grains. This year, people have hope as the rains have improved and the fields are green. However, many families have finished their food reserves and are still struggling to survive before the harvest in December.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:49:02 +0000

A woman cleaning 'teff', a staple food in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than 80% of people live on less than a day. In North Wollo rains have been decreasing in the past three years and in 2009 many communities in this region faced complete drought and lost all their crops which forced many people to migrate in search of food. Food prices increased and many families had to sell their livestock in order to buy grains. This year, people have hope as the rains have improved and the fields are green. However, many families have finished their food reserves and are still struggling to survive before the harvest in December.
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Children dance in the dirt roads of Huambo city, Angola. Huambo is still recovering from Angola's civil war, in which infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and bridges were completely destroyed throughout the province.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:49:45 +0000

Children dance in the dirt roads of Huambo city, Angola. Huambo is still recovering from Angola's civil war, in which infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and bridges were completely destroyed throughout the province.
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Zenabu helps her husband, Belay, weave traditional clothes which he sells in the market in order to generate additional income to support his family, North Wollo, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Belay is a member of a Village Save Loan Association. These associations are a way for people to improve their financial assets by increasing their access to financial resources. Ethiopia has had continuous decreased rainfall since 2007. In 2009 rains failed completely, destroying harvests and forcing families to look for alternative ways of generating income in order to feed their children. This year rains have improved but in areas of North Wollo there have been heavy rains which have caused floods and destroyed villages. Farmers say they have never seen such strong rains in 27 years. North Wollo is a low-land area with mountains where the only cultivable land is at the foot of the hills. Deforestation has turned the land barren and there are high levels of soil erosion.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:50:16 +0000

Zenabu helps her husband, Belay, weave traditional clothes which he sells in the market in order to generate additional income to support his family, North Wollo, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Belay is a member of a Village Save Loan Association. These associations are a way for people to improve their financial assets by increasing their access to financial resources. Ethiopia has had continuous decreased rainfall since 2007. In 2009 rains failed completely, destroying harvests and forcing families to look for alternative ways of generating income in order to feed their children. This year rains have improved but in areas of North Wollo there have been heavy rains which have caused floods and destroyed villages. Farmers say they have never seen such strong rains in 27 years. North Wollo is a low-land area with mountains where the only cultivable land is at the foot of the hills. Deforestation has turned the land barren and there are high levels of soil erosion.
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Abayanesu, 22, holds her unnamed newborn daughter at the Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She was born a month premature and weighed only 800 grams. Abayanesu has been advised by the nurses to practice Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), a method consisting of skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant for 24 hours until the baby is 41 weeks old. Abayanesu’s daughter has gained 400 grams after only 10 days of Kangaroo Mother Care.Worldwide more than 20 million babies are born each year with low birth weight. This represents 15.5% of all births. Of these low birth weight babies, 95.6% are born in developing countries. Kangaroo Mother Care was originally conceived in 1978 in order to address the problem of insufficient and expensive resources in neonatal care units in poor countries.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:50:47 +0000

Abayanesu, 22, holds her unnamed newborn daughter at the Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She was born a month premature and weighed only 800 grams. Abayanesu has been advised by the nurses to practice Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), a method consisting of skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant for 24 hours until the baby is 41 weeks old. Abayanesu’s daughter has gained 400 grams after only 10 days of Kangaroo Mother Care.Worldwide more than 20 million babies are born each year with low birth weight. This represents 15.5% of all births. Of these low birth weight babies, 95.6% are born in developing countries. Kangaroo Mother Care was originally conceived in 1978 in order to address the problem of insufficient and expensive resources in neonatal care units in poor countries.
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Abayanesu, 22, holds her unnamed newborn daughter at the Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She was born a month premature and weighed only 800 grams. Abayanesu has been advised by the nurses to practice Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), a method consisting of skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant for 24 hours until the baby is 41 weeks old. Abayanesu’s daughter has gained 400 grams after only 10 days of Kangaroo Mother Care.Worldwide more than 20 million babies are born each year with low birth weight. This represents 15.5% of all births. Of these low birth weight babies, 95.6% are born in developing countries. Kangaroo Mother Care was originally conceived in 1978 in order to address the problem of insufficient and expensive resources in neonatal care units in poor countries.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:51:06 +0000

The road to M'Bave, Huambo Province, Angola. Huambo is still recovering from Angola's civil war, in which infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and bridges were completely destroyed throughout the province.

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:52:07 +0000

The road to M'Bave, Huambo Province, Angola. Huambo is still recovering from Angola's civil war, in which infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and bridges were completely destroyed throughout the province.
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