CHRISTOF KRACKHARDT/ACT/DIAKONIE KATASTROPHENHILFE
Seeking shelter P
Refugees flock to a Lutheran-run camp in Ethiopia
anum, 13, and her big sister Nyamoun (last names with- held) fl ed the violence in
South Sudan and found a temporary home at Lietchor, a Lutheran World Federation-run camp in Ethiopia’s western region of Gambella. “Our father got killed in the war
and our mother is in Juba,” Panum said. “We have had no communica- tion with her for several weeks. … She does not know that we are here in safety. We really don’t know when we will see her again.” In another section of the camp,
Marie nurses an infant, the young- est of fi ve. Marie was eight months pregnant when she and three of her children fl ed the violence in South Sudan. Her husband and eldest son decided to stay behind. “Food is sparse and not enough
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for all of us,” she said. “It is diffi cult to get by, but we are glad to be alive.” Panum, Nyamoun, and Marie
and her children continue to receive water, sanitation, health and other services at Lietchor. But with famine looming and the slow trickle of aid, the growing number of refugees poses a signifi cant challenge. Violence and food shortages in
South Sudan have displaced more than 1 million people, including 300,000 who have fl ed to neighbor- ing countries. Lietchor camp was built to hold about 20,000 people, but by mid-April its staff and resources were struggling to keep up with the needs of more than 38,000 refugees. “With up to 1,000 new arrivals
per day, the relocation [to diff erent settlements] and camp absorp-
tion capacities are severely over- stretched,” said Sophie Gebreyes, staff of the LWF Department for World Service program in Ethiopia. More than 95,000 South Suda-
nese had fl ed into Ethiopia as of April 15, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. More than 90 percent of them are women and children. Entering Ethiopia through
Matar, Pagak and Akobo, most of the women and children walk for weeks then swim across a river that separates the countries.
Malnutrition rife T e new refugees show signs of malnourishment. “T ey arrive in increasingly poor conditions,” Gebreyes said. “[T ey have been] surviving on grass, wild fruits and leaves along the way.” T ere is an “alarmingly high rate
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