Fawsiya* was born and raised in Las-Anod town. She was married and lived with her three children and husband in the town. She worked as a domestic worker while her husband worked as a construction worker. They used to earn enough to support their family and pay for their children’sMadrasa fees.

However, their peaceful life was disrupted when fighting broke out in Las-Anod. Fawsiya* and her family fled from their home and left everything behind. They travelled to Galkaio in central Somalia, where they had some relatives who offered them a temporary shelter in one of IDPs camps.

Fawsiya* and her family faced many challenges in Galkaio. They had to adapt to the new environment, not knowing many people and without any source of income. They also had to cope with the trauma of leaving their home, losing their livelihoods, and witnessing violence. Fawsiya*'s relatives helped her with some basic needs but could not afford to support them for long.

Fortunately, Fawsiya* was selected as one of the beneficiaries of the European Union ECHO funded Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA), implemented by Save the children through the Somali Cash Consortium. The project aimed to provide cash assistance to the most vulnerable households affected by conflict and displacement in Somalia. Fawsiya* received monthly cash transfers of 90 US dollars for three consecutive months.

Fawsiya* used the cash relief to cover the basic needs of her family. She bought the cash with food, clothes, and other essentials. She also used portion of the cash to pay for her children's education at the Quranic School, where they continued to learn.

Fawsiya* is grateful for the opportunity that save the children and European Union gave her. She says that the cash relief has made a big difference in her life and her family's well-being. She hopes that one day the conflict will be resolved, and she will be able to return to her home in Las-Anod and rebuild it.

------------------------------------

Fawsiya*’s Story:

‘‘My name is Fawsiya* and I am 29 years old. I am a mother of three children, two boys and one girl. My family used to live in Las-Anod, where I was born and raised.

We managed to make a living in Las-Anod, living a comfortable life, and surrounded by close family members. I worked as a domestic worker and did laundry while my husband worked in the construction. My children went to a nearby Madrasa and learn their religion.

Then, the conflict broke out in Las-Anod, and we were forced to flee from our home like most people in the city. I had some relatives in Galkaio, so we decided to move there. Upon arriving in Galkaio, my relatives gave us a temporary house located in one of the camps for internally displaced people.   

My family and I started a new life in there with the help of my relatives. Some of our relatives tried to help us with the basic needs, but that was barely enough. My husband and I were still jobless and still hardly managing settling in and adopting with the memories of the war.

Fortunately, we were selected as one of the families benefiting from a cash program. We started receiving 90 US dollars for three months. I was grateful for this cash relief, which has helped my family survive and provided us with basic needs for us in transitioning time that we were going through.

With the amount we received, we were able to use the cash relief to buy food, clothes, and pay for my children’s education.

I feel hopeful for the future and this cash transfer has given me the ability to provide for my family and invest in our future and has helped my family to survive and improve our living conditions.

I hope that the conflict will end soon so that we can return to our hometown and continue living like we were used to.’’

Background / Project information

ECHO project is targeting Galkaio  and Kalabayr district in Sool and Mudug regions with  unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) that selling productive poor and displacement affected households  access  food and other basic needs, including water, medicine, shelter and access to basic services such as healthcare and education, while at the same time preventing HHs from resorting to negative coping mechanisms such as limiting the number of meals a day or selling  productive assets.