Reception centre for malnourished children

Opening of the new reception centre

On 8 May 2024, the new reception centre for malnourished children was opened within the “St John Paul II” village run by the Aid Centre for Ethiopia, located in Areka.

Areka is a town with a population of around 31,500 (2007 census), located 300 km south-west of Addis Ababa, and is one of the three most populous towns in the area, alongside Soddo and Boditi.

Agriculture is the dominant sector and employs a large proportion of the population. The soil is relatively fertile, but the extreme poverty afflicting the area prevents the use of techniques and practices capable of bringing about a significant improvement in the quantity and quality of production, leading to a severe food crisis, compounded by years of severe drought.

Many children suffer from malnutrition, which causes hundreds of deaths every year.

For this reason, Strawberry Fields Onlus has committed to building a new shelter for malnourished children, where the children, accompanied by their mothers, will receive the care they need to recover from their critical condition. All the mothers will also be taught how to prepare balanced meals using local ingredients, so that once they return to their village, they can continue to provide their children with a healthy diet.

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