shamostan:

Mothers, especially, bind their stomachs to lessen hunger pangs: ‘Only the rich around here don’t tie a rope in times like this,’ says Zippora Mbungo (above) of Makima, Kenya…

“I tie this rope around my waist to hold my stomach in and avoid feeling hungry. Most of the time we have very little food, so I give it to my grandchildren first, leaving little or nothing for me. That is why I tie this rope around me. Only the rich people around here don’t tie a rope in times like this.This is one of the worst droughts I have ever seen in my life.”

-86-year-old grandmother from Makima, Kenya, told the agency’s workers..

“This practice shows just how desperately hungry women are. But it can be lethal – women have died after suddenly untying their stomachs once food is available.”

-Philip Kilonzo, of ActionAid Kenya..