Journey into the Horn of Africa

The following is a set of blog entries written by Stephanie Wrightman - MAA's International Programs Manager - during a Muslim Aid Australia (MAA) venture into Kenya to observe Famine Relief efforts in the Horn of Africa.

Steph's Blog August-Sept 2011

Day 1

After flying 21 hours from Sydney via Bangkok, I arrived in Nairobi, the busy capital city of Kenya at 6am on Friday August 26th. I rested for a couple hours before meeting Dr Mohamud Shiekh - a representative of the Horn of Africa Relief and Development Agency (HARDA) - who has been working on the ground with our implementing partner - the Waso Resource and Development Agency (WARDA). Dr Shiekh has become a well known figure in North East Kenya due to his fervent efforts in helping drought affected locals and refugees from neighbouring Somalia in the past 2 months. He briefed me on the day’s events while we drove to the Australian Embassy to notify them of my presence in Kenya for security purposes. We then travelled 6 hours to Garissa, in North East Kenya, on the only paved road I would see for the next 5 days.

[NOTE: sections like below throughout this blog are my side notes, captions for pictures and/or inner thoughts]

'I saw the environment here change from a great mountainous landscape of green with small brick houses, to a vast arid dry-land spotted with flecks of green and shanty huts made of sticks, old cloth and any material able to be scavenged.'

By now the temperature had risen to over 40 degrees, which was too hot for comfort. 

Dr Shiekh showed me water pans that had previously held water but were now completely dry due to the drought. Many of the water pans I saw now contain dirt and other contaminants, and must be silted to remove contaminants before the next rain season - or else it will be unsuitable for human consumption.

'Silting is expensive and the locals cannot afford it...they barely have enough money for food.  The locals rely on the seasonal rain twice a year to fill the water pans in order to have enough water to survive the folllowing dry season. The North East region have now missed 2 consecutive rain seasons...’

During out travels, I came across several water tanks that some local communities were fortunate enough to have to help relieve the burden of the drought. Many people here still live as nomads, herding their sheep, goats, camels or other livestock as their main source of livelihood.

‘I recall locals telling me that many of them had to walk at least 40km or more every day to the nearest water source in order to feed their livestock and collect water for their families. They are in desperate need of closer access to water.'

After 3 more hours on the road we crossed a bridge over the Garissa River and entered Garissa town. It was nice to finally see a flowing river of water. Garissa town is the Capital of the Garissa district and is where the provincial headquarters of WARDA is located. That evening I met with WARDA officials: Mohamud Omar (Chief Executive Officer), Bashir (Finance and Administrator Coordinator), and Hassan. WARDA has been and currently is implementing Muslim Aid Australia’s food distributions in the Garissa and Wajir districts.

Day 2

We left Garissa early at 7am accompanied by Omar, and Hassan. We travelled by car through even dryer land on a bumpy dirt road further North East on the way to Vadagahley, which is where WARDA conducted the first food distributions on behalf of MAA.

‘In Vadagahley, the community was heavily affected by drought but they allowed newly arrived Somali refugees to live amongst them and share their already limited resources. They expressed to me their extreme need for food, water, latrines and medicines. Many of the Somalian refugees are not yet registered to even receive food and water, and many must wait roughly 4 days before they are registered, while their children suffer with starvation and sickness...’

‘MAA and WARDA were the first organizations to provide food aid to these people. They are extremely grateful, but still in need of more.‘

Upon travelling to Dadaab I saw many vehicles from UNHCR, MSF and other organizations on the road heading to Dadaab. There seem to be a lot of organizations responding to the needs of the Somalian refugees in Dadaab compared to the previous areas I visited.

‘We stopped at the Dadaab IFO refugee camp which is the largest refugee camp in the world, with a population over 4 times its capacity. IFO is inundated with thousands of newly arriving Somalian refugees every day. I witnessed countless numbers of malnourished children. Many of the newly arrived Somalian refugees have not yet been provided shelter and appropriate materials to build their huts - so many resort to using sticks, clothing and plastic to make their huts, whilst refugees that have been there for about 20 years have been given tents from UNHCR.The Somalian refugees expressed their needs for food, water, shelter, latrines and medications.

We then visited Darful, which is the second place WARDA conducted food and medicine distribution on behalf of MAA.

‘These people were very grateful for the food and medicines we supplied and shared their concerns for the current outbreak of measles and chicken pox particularly in women and children. A young 14 year old lady had died of measles, and we met her father who expressed his sorrow as his wife had also passed away recently. This was overwhelming as a simple measles vaccination could have saved her life and her family's sorrow. I shared my condolences'.

 

‘There are no latrines in this Darful community, so people do not have any privacy when nature calls, and many women wait until it is dark to find a private place in the bush to do their business. This is not only inconvenient particularly if they have diarrhea but also a sanitation problem which can lead to open contamination of diseases. Latrines are urgently needed’

While I was there, the first case of cholera was reported. Cholera is transferred through contaminated water, and causes infected people to have watery diarrhea, which is very contagious, and causes further dehydration that can lead to death. 

Many families’ livestock including camels, donkeys and goats carrying materials for their Somali huts have died on their long trek across hundreds of kilometres to reach access to pure water. We then travelled to Degahley where there are more newly arrived Somalian refugees and locals. In Degahley, we prepared for WARDA and MAA’s second food distribution.

‘The women lined up outside the distribution centre, while we sorted the packages of food; including rice, milk, dates and protein. Fatima and I distributed the Ramadan food packages to the women.’

'Here I met a mother whose child had died of malnutrition and diarrhea, while her second child is in the same condition. One woman was also telling me that she lost few of her children along the trek and had to eat their remains to survive as they had no food. I was shocked by their experiences.’

On our way to Shimbirbul I came across a very flat, dry land area which had good soil and may be a potential site for future farming opportunities - once it rains. When we reached Shimbirbul, I was exhausted and dehydrated due to the heat, bad roads and labour of distributing food. ButI helped them distribute food once again here before Dr Shiekh separated from us and we continued to travel towards Habiswein where we stayed the night.

‘I was fortunate to witness a newly constructed 4 day old borehole with many people drawing water for their livestock and consumption. Water was being pumped by an engine, and the borehole was not yet fenced, so animals were drinking water directly from it. Omar told me that the lthese people have been walking 40kms to reach this borehole for water for the last 7 years, so the construction of an accessable borehole has made these people extremely happy' 

 

The land was getting dryer the further north east we travelled, the only green in site was the evergreen plants which are apparently always green even in dry conditions.

 Day 3  

We left at 9am for Habiswein hosptial where WARDA implemented Muslim Aid's Eye cataract surgery project on behalf of the Horn of Africa and Development Agency (HARDA). I met and interviewed the beneficiaries that were pleased to see me and were very grateful to MAA. It was an honour to have so many locals travel such long distances just to come and meet me.

‘120 people were screened and 80 people operated on with the majority being over the age of 60. All the beneficiaries I spoke to reported that they had improved vision. This was a great achievement as some women told me they were burdening their family members, having to be escorted everywhere, even to the toilet. Their children could now go back to school.'

Some beneficiaries expressed other needs such as emergency transport, equipment for a newly built hospital, which I've seen, and more surgeons and doctors. 

‘We then traveled to Leheley which is a village of local people in need of water wells and hand pumps for their already constructed water wells. Hand pumps are needed to cover the water wells to prevent contamination, prevent the danger of children falling in (which has happened), and reduce labour by simply pumping water instead of using a rope and bucket to draw the water.’

In this same village, WARDA showed me 10 acres of land that WARDA has been donated from the Government for a  to establish a Children's rehabilitation centre and school for malnourished and traumatized children. We discussed the prospects for this project and they described what it would look like.

On our way back to Wajir we stopped to see a hand dug water reservoir by the side of the road. The water reservoir had an orange tarpaulin lining it to prevent dirt contaminating the water, and the locals had fenced it off with branches to prevent animals drinking directly from it. There were a few pastoralists feeding their goats water in a barrel outside the fence.

'This is the only source of water for local communities nearby, and they are relying on this water reservoir to be filled by water trucks daily to feed themselves, their families and their animals.‘

By sunset we travelled to Wajir to rest at Fatima's house. After spending some time in her home, Omar and Hassan picked us up and we drove to the District Commissioner (DC) of Wajir South’s home for a meeting.

‘It was quite an honor to meet the DC at his home on a Sunday evening before Eid and he was pleased to meet us. He provided me a letter addressed to Muslim Aid with a summary of the conditions and needs of not only Somalian refugees, but of the Somali locals suffering in the drought in Wajir.’

Day 4

We left Wajir at approx 7am and traveled to Diff Kenya, which is about 8km from the border of Somalia. Along the journey I admired the dry landscape change from shades of red to white to red.

‘I saw many women and children on the sides of the road holding jerry cans and shaking it in need of water. Thankfully we had many bottles of water, and stopped many times to help relieve them. It saddened me greatly to think that these people struggle to have their basic necessities, whilst in Australia, we have all the comforts the world has to offer, and much more support from our own Government.’

When we reached Diff, many men and women were settled and waiting to meet me. I met the Area chief, and heard their experiences and needs from both men and women. Hassan interpreted their experiences in English to me. They expressed an immediate need for food, clean water, and a medical clinic.

‘They only have 1 maternity ward, which they are using to treat people with health conditions from the entire community. Furthermore, the nearest medical facility to Diff is about 150km away! They also need an emergency transport vehicle, or a mobile clinic.’

‘Diff has 1 central water well about 250 feet deep filled with salt water and is only good for livestock consumption. They are currently relying on expensive water trucking to their town to provide their daily clean water.'

WARDA advised that there is pure water about 350 feet deep and the construction of a borehole will provide the town close access to drinking water so they no longer have to rely on the expensive water trucking. 

‘I feel the need to help this particular community, as they have had many organisations meet with them and make them promises of assistance in the last 2 months. They have had no responses thus far. As Diff is located on the outskirts of Kenya close to the Somalia border, it is difficult to reach this town in Kenya, and they have been forgotten by the Kenyan Government and the international community.‘

After leaving Diff we travelled 3 hours back to Wajir Bore where the land is very white. Hassan and Omar showed me many water wells in this region, however...most of the water wells did not have a cover over the well, and simply looked like a hole that had been dug into the ground. They are hand dug, and many have dried up due to the drought and were now filled with dirt and contaminants.

Omar explained to me that many men that have gone into the wells to dig out the dirt have been exposed to a poisonous gas, possibly carbon monoxide, and some have died from it. Now they use a rope to tie the men up, lifting them out at any point of danger. The dirt and contamination in the wells is causing the poison in the water. These water wells must be capped to prevent future contamination and ensure preservation of clean water. Next up was the Wajir bore town to provide me with a truly Somali experience - Eid in Somalia!

Day 5 and 6

It was the day of Eid, so Fatima, Hassan, and Omar celebrated that morning and prayed their morning prayers. Fatima took me to her home for Eid al-fitr. I met her lovely Somali family, who welcomed me warm heartedly. 

We then traveled 6 hours to Garissa, arriving at about 8pm. That night I was sick with gastroenteritis after having a juice with ice at dinner. We left Garissa and traveled 6 hours to Nairobi. I was still sick and feeling very uncomfortable during the drive back to Nairobi. Although, I enjoyed the scenery of the land, and was happy to see more green as we neared Nairobi, the air was much cooler here. That night we arrived late at Nairobi and exhausted, I went straight to bed. 

Day 7

I was feeling much better in the morning, and spent the day with Fatima. I caught up on my notes and reports of the previous few days on the field after finally getting internet access, and took the opportunity to check my emails and respond with an update to MAA of my field trip. I met with Dr Shiekh in the afternoon for a chat about my eye-opening experiences and thoughts of the last few days in North East Kenya. I was happy to see him and very grateful to him for taking care of me.

'Below is a photo I captured of kids in a school  made by refugees in IFO refugee camp. It is their attempt to educate their children thay have been taken out of school to leave  their homes in search of water.'

Day 8

I had a meeting with WARDA and Dr Sheikh in the morning for a briefing on my field trip and prospects for future relief and development projects. We discussed the logistics of the containers of food due to arrive on the 11th of September. We also discussed the rising price of fuel in Kenya due to the war in Libya that would cause high transport costs for the containers of food from Mombasa port to Garissa and Wajir. We discussed the prospects for future relief, short term and long term projects.

In terms of relief, the needs are water, food, medicines, medical care and proper hygiene and sanitation. We discussed providing more food, water trucking and more containers with hygiene packs, glucose packs and oral rehydration packs. For the short term we discussed a school feeding program for malnourished children.

For development, we discussed advertising and implementing shallow water wells, hand pumps, livestock, latrines, and children’s education in North East Kenya on MAA’s Gifts for Life catalogue.

We also discussed a wet feeding program for children under the age of 5 and breast feeding and lactating mothers, in addition to micro-financing and vocational training projects for men and women. 

After the meeting I had lunch by myself for the first time in Kenya and went to the internet café to send an email to MAA regarding the urgent requirements for the food containers, plus any further MAA correspondence. That evening I met with Dahir from Muslim Aid Kenya and Mohammed from Muslim Aid Somalia. They updated me on the humanitarian situation in Somalia with drought affected victims and Mohammed explained to me MA Somalia's work in the IDP camps within Mogadishu and their proposal to join with other aid agencies for a short-term recovery project. He advised me that the security is much better in Mogadishu and it is safe in some parts of Mogadishu including where the MA Somalia office is located and near the Mogadishu IDP camps.

Dahir from MA Kenya briefly discussed their current work in Dadaab. They have 10 volunteers in each of the 3 refugee camps in Dadaab, and have conducted 2 food distributions which in the last month targeting Somalian refugees. The funds were sent through Muslim Aid UK.

Day 9

I returned to Nairobi in the morning and rested for a couple hours before working on my reports. Dahir picked me up that evening for a meeting in Westlands. He told me about MA Kenya’s history and current work with drought-affected people in Kenya. Dahir explained that MA Kenya was originally a regional office and has only recently been conducting projects in the last 6 months. I asked him about MA Kenya’s capacity to assist WARDA with the food distribution from the containers and he noted that they were only a small team of 4, but would be more than willing to help if needed.

  'The lovely WARDA team that accompanied me upon my journey into North East Kenya. Left to Right: Fatima, Hassan, Omar. Hassan was singing something Somali Style when I took this photo - he certainly kept us entertained on the long hours of travel. On my trip, one thing really stood out to me - that although these people were so poor - they were always so happy. Somali's are truly beautiful people'

'Two more pic's of the IFO refugee camp - largest refugee camp in the world'