File:Tiru with her baby daughter, receiving nutrition support in southern Ethiopia, thanks to CARE International (6021951280).jpg

UPDATE, June 2012: At least 2.4 million people like Tiru and her twin daughters have been reached with emergency food assistance through the support of aid from Britain in Ethiopia, Kenya & Somalia in 2011-12. And over the last two years, UK aid has reached 6 million people with food aid in times of disaster - find out more at www.dfid.gov.uk/annualreport

August 2011:

Tiru, a 25-year-old widowed mother of five, in Miyo, Oromia Region, considered one of the worst affected drought areas in southern Ethiopia.

Tiru is pictured with her one of her six-month-old twins, against the aquamarine-painted wall of an Ethiopian government health clinic in Miyo, Oromia, Ethiopia, 3 August 2011.

“I lost my husband when I was pregnant with my twins, due to sickness. We used to work together, we had cattle then. We lost our 2 cattle because of the drought. We also watered crops for the rich farmers. I now do this alone. It is very difficult with two babies to work. My income is much less. I can no longer support my children. My father is old. He was able to support me at the start but now cannot.”

Community health workers from the NGO CARE International visited Tiru’s village a month ago. They advised that the twins needed screening for malnutrition. The twins were then admitted to an outpatients nutrition programme, and provided with plumpy nut (peanut butter with high nutritional content) for 3 weeks.

This one of Tiru's daughters is now ready to be discharged; when she was admitted she weighed 4.5kg, but after 3 weeks she now weighs 5.2 kg. This is considered to be acceptable and she no longer requires support. Her twin sister is almost there. She probably needs another week before she can be discharged from the programme.

UK aid is supporting CARE International's nutrition activities in Oromia through the UN's humanitarian response fund.

To find out more about how UK aid is helping those affected by the drought in Ethiopia and across the Horn of Africa, please visit: www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Features/2011/Horn-of-Africa-a...