Humanitarian

Drought took away everything from us!

 By Saddaam Hussein Carab-Save the Children Somalia/Somaliland

For Saynab, a 16-year-old class seven pupil at Kalabayr Primary School, going to school means everything to her. She gets excited just thinking of spending another day in school, learning and playing with friends. She has big dreams for herself. She wants to be an English Teacher.

In Somalia, persistent droughts are becoming a recurring phenomenon, and often lead to depleted income of the pastoralist households.  Like many other families, Ahmed moved from his home in Sanaag to a remote village, Awsane, in search of food, water and relief assistance. We met Ahmed at a local school in the village talking to children from similar families who migrated because of the harsh drought conditions on the importance of hygiene and only drinking clean water.

I did not know what to expect when I boarded a World Food Program (WFP) humanitarian helicopter to Belet Weyne in Hiran region of Somalia. For the first, helicopters are not the usual mode of transport to the region but today this is the only way that can get me to Belet Weyne following the recent riverine and flash floods that hit central and southern regions of Somalia in early May.