Ethiopia’s forsaken
A country where 16% of the population “suffers from some kind of mental health disorders”, and just one specialized psychiatrist hospital
Kalkidan Yibeltal
Standing unassumingly at the foothold of Mount Entoto, the octagonal building of Saint Mary Church looks over the ever widening Addis Abeba. Built in the nineteenth century, the church, quite prominently, played host to the coronation of Emperor Menelik II and it is where the body of Empress Taitu, the founder of the capital, rested. However, it is not the appeal of history that is summoning numerous people to the chilly hills. In fact the church’s fame, as of late, is built chiefly upon its service of the holy water, which, worshipers believe, possesses such healing powers that patients suffering from ailments as grave as HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis trek in the hope of receiving some miracle. Equally numerous is the number of mentally ill persons brought by family members pretty much from all over the country.
