{"id":3354,"date":"2019-08-06T19:02:48","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T19:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/?p=3354"},"modified":"2019-08-06T19:02:48","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T19:02:48","slug":"somali-farming-and-herding-families-walk-for-days-to-find-water-and-food-in-baidoa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/2019\/08\/06\/somali-farming-and-herding-families-walk-for-days-to-find-water-and-food-in-baidoa\/","title":{"rendered":"Somali farming and herding families walk for days to find water and food in Baidoa"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAIDOA (SoOHA) –<\/strong> Hilowlay\u00a0<\/span>Ali Mohamed\u00a0<\/span>has been a farmer for decades, continuing a long family tradition, and never\u00a0<\/span>once\u00a0<\/span>thought she would one day leave her home\u00a0<\/span>begging for aid.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But after a long walk from her drought-stricken village in southern Somalia\u2019s Bay region, she found herself this month setting up a flimsy shelter for her six children in a newly formed camp for internally displaced people in the regional capital Baidoa.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have an eight-hectare farm where I grow millet, maize, and beans,\u201d Hilowlay said.\u00a0 \u201cLife was very smooth until our land turned barren due to continued rain failure.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe left our village with nothing and on our way, we begged in villages to get something to eat,\u201d said the mother of six.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hilowlay\u00a0<\/span>decided to lea<\/span>ve\u00a0<\/span>her home and farm\u00a0<\/span>in Deb-weyne village\u00a0<\/span>along with six other families\u00a0<\/span>after\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>rains failed\u00a0<\/span>on<\/span>\u00a0three consecutive seasons.<\/span>\u00a0They had no food or water left. They trekked<\/span>\u00a0for six days to Baidoa\u00a0<\/span>hoping to find<\/span>\u00a0help<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They<\/span>\u00a0spent several nights sleeping outside, before forming a new camp called Qansahdere.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f\u201cYou can see what kind of a house we live in. It is made of sticks and old cloths and does not protect us from the cold and rain. We have nothing to eat,\u201d Hilowlay<\/span>\u00a0told Radio Ergo bitterly<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Around 1,000<\/span>\u00a0farming\u00a0<\/span>and pastoralist\u00a0<\/span>families<\/span>\u00a0have<\/span>\u00a0descended on Baidoa in recent days after abandoning\u00a0<\/span>their villages in Bay r<\/span>egion\u00a0<\/span>in search of water and\u00a0<\/span>food<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Hilowlay says s<\/span>he ha<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0not\u00a0<\/span>received any\u00a0<\/span>support from aid agencies and is disappointed at what they have experienced in<\/span>\u00a0town.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We were expecting\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>good life but what I\u00a0<\/span>have seen<\/span>\u00a0here is different from\u00a0<\/span>what I had imagined,\u00a0<\/span>because<\/span>\u00a0life\u00a0<\/span>here is worse<\/span>\u00a0than what we left<\/span>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

F<\/span>amilies from Dinsor, Burhakaba, and Ba<\/span>r<\/span>dere ha<\/span>ve<\/span>\u00a0been arriving,<\/span>\u00a0according to\u00a0<\/span>Baidoa district\u00a0<\/span>deputy commissioner<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0Adan Arab.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We have settled them in\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>new camp and\u00a0<\/span>we\u00a0<\/span>plan<\/span>ned<\/span>\u00a0to discuss their issues with the aid agencies. Our role\u00a0<\/span>is to welcome these families and\u00a0<\/span>do whatever we can do for them,<\/span>\u201d Adan said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It took seven days for Mohamed Nur Mohamed and his children to reach Baidoa after they left their home in a village near Qansahdere town.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mohamed\u00a0<\/span>told Radio Ergo that he\u00a0<\/span>alternated ca<\/span>rrying\u00a0<\/span>the youngest\u00a0<\/span>three of his seven children on his<\/span>\u00a0back over the\u00a0<\/span>90 km\u00a0<\/span>walk from their\u00a0<\/span>village\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0Baidoa town.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We had no alternative but to leave the area.\u00a0<\/span>On<\/span>\u00a0the journey, the\u00a0<\/span>conditions were<\/span>terrible \u2013<\/span>\u00a0the children reach<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0stage where they could\u00a0<\/span>not\u00a0<\/span>walk\u00a0<\/span>anymore\u00a0due to hunger and thirst<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0I was forced\u00a0<\/span>to carry them,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mohamed lost\u00a0<\/span>all\u00a0<\/span>his livestock\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>the successive drought<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>hit the region<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I have no other skill because I was<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0pastoralist<\/span>\u00a0so the only option I had\u00a0<\/span>was to come here<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but there is no difference h<\/span>ere as there is no support yet,\u201d<\/span>\u00a0he stated.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Saido Sheikh Ali, a mother of four<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0came\u00a0<\/span>to the camp\u00a0<\/span>from Dinsor\u00a0<\/span>in<\/span>\u00a0Bay region<\/span>\u00a0using a\u00a0<\/span>donkey cart to transport her children and\u00a0<\/span>their\u00a0<\/span>few<\/span>\u00a0belongings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Saido built a two-metre square hut in the camp\u00a0<\/span>for herself and<\/span>\u00a0her children using old mats.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>suffer<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0a l<\/span>ot because it is cold here and\u00a0<\/span>food is scarce<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0M<\/span>y husband died some years\u00a0<\/span>back\u00a0<\/span>and I h<\/span>ave no job to support my family. S<\/span>ometimes we get to eat and other times do not, so we sleep on empty stomach<\/span>s,\u201d<\/span>\u00a0she explained.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She\u00a0<\/span>asked<\/span>\u00a0the local authorities and aid agencies to deliver aid<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

BAIDOA (SoOHA) – Hilowlay\u00a0Ali Mohamed\u00a0has been a farmer for decades, continuing a long family tradition, and never\u00a0once\u00a0thought she would one day leave her home\u00a0begging for aid.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But after a long walk from her drought-stricken village in southern Somalia\u2019s Bay region, she found herself this month setting up a flimsy shelter for her six children in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news","category-wash"],"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