On the strength of these promises, Ethiopian Somalis, along with hundreds of thousands of other refugees, returned home and were trying to re-create their lives. I didn't suspect I would become more a participant than an observer. On my second visit to this man's family home, the grandmother brought out a swaddled infant who was not well. The baby was now malnourished and dehydrated. Nestle, to boot, after years of supporting boycotts.
Breast milk is best for babies.
But this baby had no mother, and no other woman offered to breastfeed her. I found out later that her mother, Dehabo, had bled to death after giving birth. The baby had come to live in this house, the house of her uncle, because the grandmother volunteered to take care of her. Ifrah initially did well, but after a few weeks she began the downward spiral of diarrhea and malnutrition so common in poor countries. Although her uncle was considerably wealthier than her father, in absolute terms this was a poor family.