PBF in action for the most needy among the displaced people from Lalibela
The 4th day
Rations
The PBF feeding program has now been running for 10 days. We are providing a total of 430 people with 2 meals a day, and counting.
Sanitary Materials
We have distributed sanitary items to women with children and to girls.
Accommodation
We select only those who, due to their health and condition, cannot survive in the open shelters where hundreds spend their nights. This is a very difficult task. We have to decide who stays outside in the cold and who sleeps in the few rooms we have available and for which we have to pay per night.
Hospital and medicines
We visit several public hospitals where people are admitted for various ailments. The hospitals are obviously overcrowded and the services are overwhelmed. The rebels have destroyed over 20 hospitals and this means that all cases have to be transferred to Bahir Dar. There are also injuries among soldiers and civilians on the front lines. Within our limited capacity, we are giving basic first aid supplies to those who need them.
We are grateful for all the financial resources PBF is giving us for this operation, but we want to proceed carefully, cautiously and gradually, as we are aware of the great future challenge in Lalibela itself. There are the most vulnerable people who have not been able to flee. They are still trapped by the rebels.
We are trying our best to respond to emergencies within our means, even though hundreds of people are still trapped and all are in need of help and wait for our commitment.
We can commend the cooperation and efforts of the local authorities as well as the community initiative (committee) led by volunteers from Lalibela.
We fervently pray for God’s mercy on our people!
Abebe, Sisay and Mesay, the team of PBF in Bahir Dar