{"id":3222,"date":"2019-06-26T22:20:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T22:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/?p=3222"},"modified":"2019-06-27T10:59:14","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T10:59:14","slug":"debt-collectors-chase-somali-pastoralists-for-cash-borrowed-to-survive-the-drought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/2019\/06\/26\/debt-collectors-chase-somali-pastoralists-for-cash-borrowed-to-survive-the-drought\/","title":{"rendered":"Debt collectors chase Somali pastoralists for cash borrowed to survive the drought"},"content":{"rendered":"

ADAADO (SoOHA) –<\/strong> Hassan\u00a0<\/span>Aabi<\/span>\u00a0is carrying the weight of a<\/span>\u00a0huge<\/span>\u00a0burden on his shoulders<\/span>\u00a0as\u00a0<\/span>he counts off the days before the debt collectors come for him again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>With\u00a0<\/span>his<\/span>\u00a0pitifully\u00a0<\/span>d<\/span>epleted\u00a0<\/span>herd of\u00a0<\/span>23\u00a0<\/span>feeble goats, Hassan<\/span>\u00a0is struggling to support<\/span>\u00a0his three wives and 23 children in\u00a0<\/span>Benyo<\/span>-ad village<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a025<\/span>\u00a0km south of\u00a0<\/span>Guriel<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>Galgadud<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Earlier this month, his creditors had him arrested and they are threatening to do so again if they don\u2019t get paid.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIn the last\u00a0<\/span>Jilal<\/span><\/i>\u00a0[long dry season],\u00a0<\/span>I lost\u00a0<\/span>300<\/span>\u00a0goats and the remaining one<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0are\u00a0<\/span>still very\u00a0<\/span>weak<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Circumstances forced me to take this huge debt,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0explained 48<\/span>\u2013<\/span>year<\/span>\u2013<\/span>old Hassan<\/span>, who owes $1,300<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>He was detained in\u00a0<\/span>Guriel<\/span>\u00a0p<\/span>olice\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>tation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>\u201c<\/span>I was released on bond with\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>help of relatives and given\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>three-month\u00a0ultimatum to clear the debt,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0Hassan told Radio Ergo.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Borrowing\u00a0<\/span>money from\u00a0<\/span>people he knew<\/span>\u00a0was the only way to survive during the harsh drought, especially with\u00a0<\/span>three households<\/span>\u00a0to support.\u00a0 But his<\/span>\u00a0source of income<\/span>, his livestock,<\/span>\u00a0was decimated\u00a0<\/span>and he is trapped in a vicious cycle.\u00a0<\/span>Recovery seems to be an illusion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>My fellow pastoralists would have helped me<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but we are all in the same situation. Though it\u00a0<\/span>has\u00a0<\/span>rained, the livestoc<\/span>k are still weak,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0said Hassan.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Livestock\u00a0<\/span>herders<\/span>\u00a0hit by the drought are in similar position all over Somalia. They borrowed\u00a0<\/span>from friends and relatives to\u00a0<\/span>keep going<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over 1,000<\/span>\u00a0km\u00a0<\/span>to the south in\u00a0<\/span>Bala\u2019d<\/span>, Middle\u00a0<\/span>Shabelle<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>single mother\u00a0<\/span>Faduma<\/span>\u00a0Ahmed Nur<\/span>\u00a0lost<\/span>\u00a020 of her 37 cattle\u00a0<\/span>in 2016,\u00a0<\/span>leaving her\u00a0<\/span>desperate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Faduma<\/span>\u00a0borrowed<\/span>\u00a0So<\/span>\u00a0sh<\/span>\u00a035,000,000 ($1,500) from a\u00a0<\/span>neighbour<\/span>\u00a0to buy f<\/span>odder<\/span>\u00a0for her livestock<\/span>\u00a0during the drought<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>During that time, li<\/span>f<\/span>e was miserable,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>we had no alternative but to borrow money hoping that we would\u00a0<\/span>be able to\u00a0<\/span>repay during the season,<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span>said\u00a0<\/span>Faduma<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Faduma<\/span>\u00a0has been\u00a0<\/span>arrested three times<\/span>\u00a0for failure to repay her debts.<\/span>\u00a0But just like Hassan, she cannot earn enough to get back on her feet.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I am still unable to settle th<\/span>e debt because I get little mil<\/span>k fr<\/span>om only three cows,\u00a0<\/span>which I sell to feed\u00a0<\/span>my\u00a0<\/span>children,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0said\u00a0<\/span>Faduma<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0who has six children.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amina Hussein Sule<\/span>i<\/span>man, a former trader in\u00a0<\/span>Gorofley<\/span>\u00a0village<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a040<\/span>\u00a0km East of\u00a0<\/span>Hudun<\/span>\u00a0in<\/span>So<\/span>o<\/span>l<\/span>\u00a0region<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>represents the other side of the coin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amina, a<\/span>\u00a0mother of five<\/span>, had to close<\/span>\u00a0her small shop after\u00a0<\/span>going<\/span>\u00a0bankrupt.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She\u00a0<\/span>has given out loans totaling $<\/span>5,000 to\u00a0<\/span>drought-hit\u00a0<\/span>past<\/span>oralist<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>living in her village.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I lent them all I had hoping that they w<\/span>ould<\/span>\u00a0pay me\u00a0<\/span>back in\u00a0<\/span>the rainy season but today we are all in the same situation and that\u00a0<\/span>has\u00a0<\/span>forced me\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>stop my business,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Omar\u00a0<\/span>Jam\u2019<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0Farah<\/span>, who runs a local NGO,\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>akula<\/span>\u00a0Somaliland Communities,\u00a0<\/span>called for substantial help to enable to the<\/span>\u00a0past<\/span>oralists<\/span>\u00a0to recover from the<\/span>ir losses<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>People have\u00a0<\/span>few<\/span>\u00a0livestock now and they do not get\u00a0<\/span>any food from them so in order to\u00a0<\/span>stand on their feet in the coming years, they need help in getting food,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Abdi Hussein Roble<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>the h<\/span>ead of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Food Securi<\/span>ty and Nutrition Analysis Unit\u00a0<\/span>(FSNAU),\u00a0<\/span>warns that<\/span>\u00a0recovery from the\u00a0<\/span>effects of the drough<\/span>t\u00a0<\/span>in Somalia\u00a0<\/span>will take a long time<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Somaliland, Puntland, central regions,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>Bay and\u00a0<\/span>Bakol<\/span>\u00a0region<\/span>s have been worst affected.<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Source: Radio Ergo<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ADAADO (SoOHA) – Hassan\u00a0Aabi\u00a0is carrying the weight of a\u00a0huge\u00a0burden on his shoulders\u00a0as\u00a0he counts off the days before the debt collectors come for him again.\u00a0 \u00a0With\u00a0his\u00a0pitifully\u00a0depleted\u00a0herd of\u00a023\u00a0feeble goats, Hassan\u00a0is struggling to support\u00a0his three wives and 23 children in\u00a0Benyo-ad village,\u00a025\u00a0km south of\u00a0Guriel\u00a0in\u00a0Galgadud.\u00a0 \u00a0Earlier this month, his creditors had him arrested and they are threatening to do so …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-food-security-cluster","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t