by Sydney Hildebrandt / WFP The Times / Friday, Dec. 11, 2020
An airplane full of medical supplies is on its way to Ethiopia, where thousands of people have been killed or displaced due to an ongoing conflict in the country’s northern region of Tigray.
Ethio-Canadian Network for Advocacy and Support — whose vice-chair is Garden City resident Markos Tegegn — is co-ordinating a shipment of bandages, nasal cannulas, syringes, needles, sutures, catheters and other medical items to the East African country.
Markos Tegegn (left), vice-chair of Ethio-Canadian Network for Advocacy and Support, and Mengistu Ayalew Kindie, organized the shipment of medical supplies to Ethiopia. SUPPLIED PHOTO
The turmoil in Ethiopia can be described as a “war,” Tegegn said. The conflict is rooted in a political dispute between leaders in Tigray and the country’s federal government. According to media reports, thousands of civilians have been displaced or killed since Nov. 4, when the prime minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, ordered his military to strike Tigray forces.
“You can imagine, when these things happen, when you’re not prepared, the impact that will have. So because of that, they were in dying need of medical supplies in order to look after the wounded ones,” Tegegn said. “It’s more than needed right now.”
Ethio-Canadian Network for Advocacy and Support is a Canada-wide non-profit organization comprised of Ethiopian diaspora, whose goal is to work with government agencies and community partners to support people affected by conflict.
The organization has been working with International Hope Canada, the Embassy of Ethiopia in Ottawa, and Ethiopian Airlines on this particular project. The airline company, which flies out of Pearson International Airport in Toronto, agreed to deliver the shipment for free, Tegegn said.
With appreciation to the Winnipeg Free Press and The Times for the article!
