Ethiopia Media and Telecoms Landscape Guide - Infoasaid

55The reticence of most Ethiopians to speak their mind openly in the presence ofpeople who they do not know and trust has served to weaken traditionalcommunications networks that operate through community structures.Case study – Hajita Hatile’s predicamentHajita Hatile is a 30-year-old woman who lives in a small village in Ethiopia’s RiftValley.In May 2011, as East Africa’s worst drought in 60 years started to bite, her fourmonthold baby boy grew weaker by the day.Staff at a health post near her village told the mother of seven that if her youngestchild showed signs of failing, she should bring him in for treatment.But by the time Hajita acted, it was too late.“I thought I had time to get there,” she said. “But by the time I went to take him there,he died.”For village mothers like Hajita, the verdant green of Ethiopia’s lush highlands masksa chronic difficulty.Each family has only a small plot of land to cultivate, so even a minor disruption inrainfall patterns can quickly tip entire communities into hunger.But, virtually cut off from the outside world, Hajita and her neighbours struggle tomake sense of their situation.Her village is only 25 km away from the tarred main road linking Addis Ababa to theKenyan border.But there is no mobile phone or radio reception in her community.There is no television either. And newspapers never appear.Health workers make occasional visits, passing along information to mothers andother women in the communities.One local NGO even organized a training session to educate local mothers in childhealth care.But news and information mostly circulates by word of mouth.Women often meet near the village well, chatting as they draw water.