Today@Dal

When Amina Abawajy read about the drought and resulting famine in Ethiopia, she wanted to do something about it.

“There was no awareness about this issue,” Abawajy said Saturday.

According to the United Nations, Ethiopia is currently experiencing its worst drought in decades.

With the support of her family, Abawajy started a GoFundMe page called Not 15 Million in October.

“This campaign started with the goal of doing something before the number (of people requiring food aid) reaches 15 million,” she explained.
Most recently, it’s been estimated 10.2 million people are in need of food aid, according to the Government of Ethiopia.

Abawajy is a Dalhousie University student who was born and raised in Halifax, but both her parents are from Ethiopia. Abawajy’s mother, Sueda Ali, said she is proud of the work her daughter is doing.

“(Amina is) doing something for her mother and father’s country,” said Ali. “I just feel very happy and I wish everything will be successfully accomplished.”

The campaign has spread the word through social media and small fundraisers. They’ve raised almost $2,000 online from people across Canada.

“We’re really privileged here and it doesn’t really hit you in the face until you see it first hand,” said Abawajy.

Abawajy has visited Ethiopia twice, with her most recent visit being last February.
“Even though it wasn’t a famine… there was still so little,” she said. “To know that was the norm, and to know right now they’re struggling even below that level, I guess that personal connection is what really drew me to this.”

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