{"id":13016,"date":"2022-03-01T14:51:39","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T14:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/axumawian.com\/?p=13016"},"modified":"2022-03-01T14:51:40","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T14:51:40","slug":"born-in-the-midst-of-chaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/axumawian.com\/?p=13016","title":{"rendered":"Born in the Midst of Chaos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

These two women, Rahwa and Abadit, could never have imagined they\u2019d have to give birth in a refugee camp, until a blazing war forced them to leave their homes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Norwegian Refugee Council<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Rahwa and her husband found out she was pregnant, they were overjoyed. \u201cWe thanked God. We were so excited,\u201d Rahwa remembers. \u201cI kept dreaming of what my child would grow up to be. I imagined him growing up to be a doctor. I never thought I would give birth to him in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rahwa was preparing to welcome her new child when war erupted in Ethiopia. Before long, she was fleeing through the forests, nine months pregnant, holding her nine-year-old son tightly by the hand. Her husband decided to stay behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a difficult journey,\u201d she says. \u201cThere was no water or food. I knew I was giving birth anytime soon. I was tired. Everything was very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She and her son walked for days and crossed a river until she finally arrived in Um Rakuba, a refugee camp in Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rahwa. Photo: Ingrid Prestetun\/NRC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sudden conflict<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In November 2020, a blazing war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia pushed tens of thousands to suddenly flee across the border to Sudan. Today, there are around 55,000 Tigrayan refugees in Sudan. Over 18,000, like Rahwa, now reside in Um Rakuba refugee camp, in Gadarif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rahwa wondered every day what had come of her husband and the rest of her family. A few days after her arrival, another refugee told Rahwa that her mother and brother were in the camp. Rahwa hoped so much that what she heard was true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rahwa was reunited with her mother and brother. She and her mother now live together, while her brother lives with his wife and children in a nearby shelter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Um Rakuba refugee camp. Photo: Ingrid Presetun\/NRC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Birth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One week after her arrival at the camp, before she could take a breath of relief, Rahwa went into labour. She gave birth in the nearest village to a healthy baby boy. She still remembers the fear and the many questions that rushed through her head. She wondered what would await her in this new life, and how long it would be before she could go back home. She also wondered about the life she\u2019ll be able to give her son, and whether she\u2019ll be able to raise him in a refugee camp, without his father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s now been more than a year since Rahwa fled her home. With only her elderly mother by her side, Rahwa wakes up every day and finds the strength to take care of her children in the camp. She cannot leave her baby alone to find a job and support her family, so she relies on what little aid she gets from humanitarian organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are little to no jobs inside the camp, especially for mothers like Rahwa. Women in the camp mostly sell food, tea, coffee, soft drinks, and vegetables. Such jobs come with risks for women. An\u00a0NRC assessment<\/a>\u00a0found that women in Um Rakuba find it harder to shop in the nearest marketplace due to higher risk of sexual assault. And in a place where one needs to stand in a queue for water and walk a long way for the nearest market, the choices can be limited for women like Rahwa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rahwa and her boys. Photo: Ingrid Prestetun\/NRC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI cannot sleep at night,\u201d she admits. \u201cI am alone here, and I need someone to support me. If my husband were here, life would not be this difficult. I need him here, and it makes me sad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through all the difficulties, Rahwa still has hope for a bright future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope peace will come to our country, and we can return. I hope my children are able to live safely and grow up to find jobs and make families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lack of food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Within walking distance from Rahwa’s shelter, lives another mother. Abadit, 26, came to the camp with her husband, daughter, and young brother. Her husband and brother later decided to return to Ethiopia. Eight months pregnant, she takes care of her five-year-old daughter, Nohel, alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Abadit and her daughter Nohel. Photo: Ingrid Prestetun\/NRC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were four. Then my husband left,\u201d says Abadit. \u201cHe was the one who worked a bit and brought us money. Now, there is nothing. Me, I can\u2019t work. We don\u2019t have anyone who works and brings money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many families in the camp, Abadit\u2019s family received blankets and other items to help improve their living conditions. But she had no choice but to sell those items for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very difficult,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s no food to eat. They gave us groceries and blankets and we sold that to get food. We sold that to live, so we have nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an NRC vulnerability analysis<\/a> from September 2021, 95 per cent of 453 surveyed refugee households in Um Rakuba had to sell household assets or other items to buy food. The report results also showed that food security was the clear primary concern for the vast majority of the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I went to the hospital to check on the baby, they told me many things, like to drink a lot of liquid and eat something to fill my blood,\u201d says Abadit. \u201cBut where do you get the money to do that? You need money to buy those things. So, you say okay and go home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of food is not the only thing to keep Abadit up at night. Abadit suffers from pregnancy health complications and pains. There are free health services through the Ministry of Health, the U.N. and other organisations. But due to the location of the camp and fuel shortages in Sudan, a shortage of supplies remains an issue. Abadit stays up all night from the pain and worries if something is going to happen to her baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult in the camp,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing pregnant is difficult. I speak for myself. It\u2019s very painful, I have severe pain. My hands and face are swollen and I have low blood pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Abadit hopes that she and her children are able to live with love and health. Photo: Ingrid Prestetun\/NRC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hoping for a peaceful future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When she watches her daughter, Nohel, playing in the dirt, all the worry fades into a smile on Abadit\u2019s face. The sight of her daughter brings her hope. She remembers what she fights for every day for, a peaceful future with her children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the future, we hope for good things: to meet with our family, the way it was before, love, and harmony. To live with love and health, that is my wish,\u201d says Abadit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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