"I used to disappoint when I think about Tamrat" – W/ro Work Wubet, Tamrat’s mother
W/ro Worke, like most mothers, gave a birth to a children. She is a mother of five children and her last child, Tamrat, had a lip cliffing problem. Tamrat was born in the Alamata town before a one year and 8 month. His mother was often worried and cried because of the influence of the society on her son's abnormal facial features.
W/ro Worke wubet is a 40-year-old lady, a resident of 02 Kebele in Dahna Woreda, and a mother of 5 children (F: 3). she was born, raised and married in Dahna woreda, but she moved to Alemata town, far from 184 km from Dahana, 8 years ago in search of a better life. As a result, her husband worked various daily jobs and she took care of the children and did the housework, and used to lead a happy family. She also had good memories, and had five children.
After the war in the north broke out, most of the residents fled the city of Alemata, fearing the conflict. When the Tigray Libration Front (TPLF) rebels took control of Alemata city, W/ro Worke made her husband flee to his hometown, Dahna woreda, so that she feels the rebels would not kill him. As a result, she and her husband have been separated for a year. She stayed in her home with her children alone because she thought the rebels could not attack them. “I stayed at home with my children because I used to think the rebels would not do anything to me. But the rebels were coming (members of TPLF) to pick bread. They kept coming and picking (bread) and harassed me. When we ran out of food, we were displaced," she said. W/ro Worke said that the TPLF rebels always came to her house to eat. After that, she fled to the Jara IDP center due to lack of food for her children.
Her first child was 18 years old when she migrated to IDP center. Her daughter was employed as a domestic worker in one family coming from Mekele to Alemata town. She said that when they fled, the person who hired her daughter did not give her salary she had worked for 2 years.
According to W/ro Worke, when they came on the street, she arranged her daughter to carry the patient Tamrat to prevent her eldest daughter from attacking by rebels. Indeed, she took her children in a cart and crossed safely to the Jara IDP center.
ORDA Ethiopia's Hope and Healing International the Emergency Response Project was providing food grains and clean water to 5,000 disabled people at Jara IDP center. W/ro Worke is one of the beneficiaries. She says it was difficult to stay in the IDP center with a child. Rice and wheat flour were subsidized through the project. Her son Tamrat was also a challenge as he could not chew food due to lip cliffing. Later, the project supported her with packaged nutritious food and her child Tamrat was revived.
Speaking about her nine-month stay in the IDP center, W/ro Worke said, "One day, it was falsely reported that the TPLF rebels were going to take over the center, and we ran away from the camp and entered the Afar region. At that time, gunfire started due to a dispute between the police of the Amhara region and the police of the Afar region. When the police told us to sleep on the ground, my little girl was too heavy to travel with carry cartoon milk on her back. Then I dropped Tamrat from my back, and I carry the cartoon milk and packed notorious food instead. The little girl carried Tamrat on her back. After a few seconds of intense gunfire, they hit the cartoon milk on my back. I was shocked. If I hadn't accidentally dropped my son from my back, he (Tamrat) would have died," she said.
W/ro Worke had fled with her one year and 8 month old son Tamrat in all this persecution and suffering. Tamrat was born with lip cliffing. He could not breastfeed. She had no choice to avoid the problem.
During her stay at the IDP center, there were people who were sad and people who were laughing at by looking Tamrat. W/ro Worke also said that she was not happy to play with people because of this. She had a hard time. "Especially when I was in the city of Alemata, he (Tamrat) grew a tooth. I was very sad since his teeth were grown inappropriately due to lip cliffing. I used to stay outside home and cry alone while I think about him,” she said.
The project experts arranged for Tamrat to undergo surgery and the first surgery was successfully performed in Addis Ababa city. With this, Tamrat was able to show a change in his lip cliffing. “He is doing well after the surgery through the project. When he crouches down and is about to spit, he puffs on you. When he sees us blowing our mouths, he catches water in his mouth, and he finishes it through this side (his nose). He cannot chew bread. The lower teeth grind (chew); but this (upper gum) is not fixed. It moves some way. He pushes this one (upper gum) up with his tongue. Because they (doctors) just put it simply. It goes up and down," she said.
W/ro Worke says that after the birth of Tamrat, she felt a lot of sadness and her body was much damaged.
After the war, w/ro Worke returned to her birth place, Dahna wored, 02 Kebele. She said that she didn't want to go back to Alamata town because the community peace is spoiled. But she is struggling to manage her family. She has lost all her properties in Alamata town, and now her husband could not find a job.
Speaking about her feelings after the war, she said, "My daughter's wage lose (the fact that her daughter, who was a domestic worker, came without receiving a wage) makes me sad. It's been 1 month (left Jara IDP center) since we went to Dehana woreda and I didn't talk to my relatives. I mean because I feel bad. I'm not too in a good mood because I think I am alone," she said.