ON BRINK OF A CRISIS
IRISH AID WORKER HELPS BATTLE KILLER CORONAVIRUS IN ETHIOPIA Former nurse Mary tells of leading role in preventing spread of disease among thousands in refugee camps
MARY T MURPHY from Macroom in west Cork worked as a staff nurse in the special care and intensive care units of Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. After moving to humanitarian aid and fighting Ebola in 2014, she has been the manager of GOAL’S refugee programme in Ethiopia for the past six years. Her role has seen her take charge of the organisation’s large-scale emergency work catering for thousands of South Sudanese and Eritrean refugees. Here she tells the Irish Sunday Mirror what life in an Ethiopian refugee camp is like during the Covid-19 pandemic
The most recent crisis was a desert locust infestation in February which saw thousands of hectares of crops wiped out, leaving families already experiencing shortages with no food source.
The damage these grasshoppers can cause is extreme. Up to 150 million locusts per square kilometre make up a swarm, and with wind they can travel up to 150km in one day.
Now, Covid-19 is the latest challenge facing Ethiopia. The first case was confirmed on March 13 and last month the country declared a state of emergency to control and prevent the spread of the virus.
Of huge concern is if the virus gets a hold in the four refugee camps in which we work – Tierkadi and Kule in Gambella Region in western Ethiopia, where we support South Sudanese refugees, and Berhale and Asayita in Afar Region in the north-east, where we support Eritrean refugees.
Across the facilities more than 32,000 direct beneficiaries are enrolled in GOAL’S programmes.
These camps are in very remote areas with limited facilities. There are no hospitals but we have health posts and centres where preventative and basic curative services are provided.
Refugees are permitted to access the host communities’ hospitals but these facilities are already overloaded supporting Ethiopia’s population and they have no ICUS or ventilators.
Therefore, access to health care for refugees is a major vulnerability. The main concern is the risk of Covid-19 transmission is high due to the large number of refugees living together. While GOAL is ensuring our humanitarian programmes supporting nutrition, shelter and sanitation continue, we are also doing Covid-19 awareness raising, providing extra handwashing facilities and distributing essential supplies.
In addition, the refugees are being encouraged to social distance but the reality is the household shelters are crowded and many families sleep in the one space.
In refugee camps, activities are often very repetitive with the same daily routine and challenges. There is no electricity supply and no household TVS.
Some have solar lamps and radios but generally the refugees are reliant on information from groups like GOAL.
Part of our approach on tackling Covid-19 is to encourage community involvement in preventative activities, getting communities engaged in their own welfare with emphasis on hand washing with soap, respiratory hygiene and physical distancing.
This strategy was used to huge success during the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in 2014.
GOAL also runs an innovative programme to screen for child malnutrition in the camps by measuring the width of the upper arm with a colour-coded tape.
Mothers and families have been trained on how to check children.
I have worked in various crisis
ETHIOPIA is no stranger to humanitarian crisis. In the past it has suffered acute food shortages.
Refugees are being encouraged to social distance but the reality is shelters are crowded MARY T MURPHY ON DIFFICULTIES TACKLING SPREAD OF VIRUS
situations, including GOAL’S response in the floods in Pakistan in 2010.
The Covid-19 virus spreads easily and now we have a pandemic.
In the emergencies I previously worked in, response teams came from other countries to support.
For example, during the Ebola response in Sierra Leone infectious control experts from Ireland, England, Denmark and Sweden came to support GOAL’S response.
However, Covid-19 is impacting every country, and with travel restrictions, it may not be possible to have help parachuted in. If an outbreak
With family at nutrition site &, right, welcoming radio star Dr Ciara Kelly occurs in our refugee camps, it will be not travelling within the country to very serious, therefore our main minimize the spread of Covid-19. emphasis is on prevention. As we have a different calendar of
With restriction of movement here events here, Easter was celebrated a in Ethiopia, GOAL staff are staying in week later than in Ireland. Normally it their current areas of operation and is a very big celebration and most people go home to their families but this year it was very different.
Staff stayed in their area of operation and were not able to celebrate as they normally would.
It is my pleasure to be working with our super GOAL team in Ethiopia. I am in touch with home regularly, and look forward to my next trip to Cork, my friends are always posting and sending me the latest funny clips.
We have a wonderful Irish embassy here which keeps us updated on events at home and we received an uplifting message from President Michael D Higgins for Easter.
Diplomats sent us a poem from John O’donohue’s Book of Blessings, reminding us the storm will pass and there are brighter days to come.
One of our last Irish get-togethers in Ethiopia was in early March. We had a great singsong and we are all looking forward to meeting up soon when this is all over. We know this crisis will pass, so let us stay positive and look after each other.
ANYONE who wants to contribute to GOAL’S Covid-19 response effort can donate at goalglobal.org
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I’m in touch with home regularly & look forward to my next trip to Cork
MARY T MURPHY ON CONTACT WITH FAMILY