'I don't know if they're alive or dead': Humanitarian crisis in Tigray felt in Ottawa
Residents in Ottawa are feeling the humanitarian crisis in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
“They left us a message saying, ‘Please help us, we are starving,’” said Azeb Gebrehiwot, an Ottawa resident who has family in Tigray and part of the Association of Tigrayan Communities in Canada. “Imagine how painful it is to hear that and not being able to call them back.”
It was a voice message that Gebrehiwot waited for months to hear, confirmation that at least her nephew is alive in Tigray.
“I don’t know if they are alive or dead; if they’re starving to death,” she said. “I think about my nieces and my nephews.”
She says her entire family is in the Tigray region, an area of Ethiopia where a war has been underway for more than a year. Blockades prevented food and aid from reaching millions. It is the world’s worst hunger crisis in a decade.
The UN estimates that 90 per cent of the six million people in the region are in urgent need for humanitarian assistance.
A convoy of food aid trucks finally entered the region on Friday. It was the first since mid-December.
“When it comes to genocide, we should not be watching idly,” said Gebrehiwot. “The whole world should be rallying together to end a genocide.”
Dozens of protesters took to the streets in Ottawa’s ByWard Market on Saturday to show support.
“We are trying to raise money to send 40 medical kits to Tigray, we have raised $20,000 and we are trying to raise $20,000 more,” said Tsion Tekie, of United Tegaru Canada.
Supporters are trying to put pressure on the Canadian government to enforce sanctions and save people from dying.
“It’s one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, but unfortunately it’s a crisis that much of the world doesn’t even know about,” said Feben Gebru, who lives in Ottawa and is an activist for the region.
For Gebrehiwot, the worry never ends.
“Imagine the guilt and the shame that you feel,” she said, “being unable to help your family and not being able to send them money because there’s no banking service in Tigray.”
She believes her nephew was able to get through to her in the voicemail because of help from the International Red Cross.
Now, she waits and hopes to hear from them again.
Organizers say the fundraising efforts are being put together by United Tegaru Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.