In Ethiopia, divorce or abandonment is not seen as a cultural taboo. It is very common for a male to move on to another family, and for the woman to be left behind with a large brood of children to care for. Most often, the women band together and help each other survive on very little. They continue their jobs of gathering wood, fetching water and preparing food.
But on the occasion where we see continued involvement by the men who are concerned about the health of their wives, there is a focused desperation. It is almost like they are fighting two battles: to obtain medical care for their loved one, and to push through the cultural norm of indifference.
