DSRSG Kane acknowledged the problem, "We’ve seen how dry everything is so we are aware of the water problem you are facing, not only here but in other areas where we have been. We cannot promise anything can be done about it, but we will see if there is anything we can do."

The DSRSG met Rev. Araiya during a visit to a clinic in Mesarha. The clinic, which is manned by two medical personnel – a nurse and a health assistant, serves 15 surrounding villages. The health assistant is a young man who delivers babies at the clinic in a sparse but clean delivery room. He told the visitors that he had delivered two babies in the last month, both healthy. He also pointed out that while there is no malaria in Mesarha, there are many cases of diarrhoea, upper respiratory infections, malnutrition and anaemia. In Mesarha, there is a water shortage problem and the water supply is 50 metres away from the clinic’s premises. Reverend Uqbagaber Woldegiorgis of the Eritrean Catholic Secretariat said they wanted to bring the water closer so the staff would not have to walk even a short distance to fetch water

Ms Kane’s first stop on her visit to the Sector, was Monoxito to see a refurbished medical clinic. Reverend Uqbagaber explained that the clinic was started in 1981 and was run at that time by the Daughters of Charity of Ethiopia. The materials used to build the clinic then were inadequate and of poor quality, and later the building itself was destroyed during the two-year border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. But today, thanks to almost $10,000 in funds from the QIP trust fund, the building the DSRSG and her delegation visited is completely new.

Mesarha villagers appeal to DSRSG Kane for help.

Captain B.M. Cariappa, an officer with UNMEE’s Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) recalled what the clinic was like when he visited it 5 months before: "The roof was very badly damaged, there was a portion of the building which was destroyed, none of the doors had proper locks or they were in very bad condition". Today, the building shows no evidence of damage, the gates are brightly painted and now large enough to accommodate the clinic’s ambulance, there are no broken windows, and a solar panel provides electricity. 

The solar powered refrigerator stores vaccines and a water tank reservoir stores enough water to last from one rainy season to the next. Like Mesarha there is a water shortage in Monoxito but despite this, the clinic is kept in pristine condition, a detail that impressed the Norwegian Charge d’Affaires, Hans Lehne, who was part of the visiting group. 

Norway is one of the main contributors to the Mission’s Quick Impact Projects Trust Fund. Mr. Lehne was impressed with how much could be achieved with a small amount of money. He said: "They are obviously making very good use of the money. And I’m impressed to see how tidy and clean everything is being kept. So it’s very good to see that the money comes to value". Norway, he added, had just recently decided to replenish the Fund. This was good news to Sister Asafach who is one of the sisters who runs the clinic. She pointed out the repairs which still need to be done and the equipment they would like to acquire for the clinic which serves about 8,000 people. The clinic and the Sisters also run a kindergarten a few metres away from the clinic, where children aged 5 to 7 have a hot meal, play with puzzles and games, and learn songs and the numbers.

During her visit, Ms Kane also took the time to visit the INDBAT Monoxito-Gerena Observation post where she was briefed on the worK of the Force there and was shown exactly where the Temporary Security Zone takes a turn. At the next stop, Aromo, where she was also briefed by INDBAT on the situation in the area, village elders greeted her, asking insistedly when demarcation would start.