On our way to a site visit in an area outside of Hargeisa, we were traveling down roads more like paths, barely distinguishable from the rest of the landscape around them. Determining which one to take to get to where we needed to go was a challenge even for my colleague, who is from the area.
The landscape was mostly beige, with trees lacking green leaves (or any leaves at all) and termite McMansions three feet high, engulfing the few trees and cacti out there. You could almost hear the trees and cacti gasping for breath, as they were being suffocated by the encroaching termites.
At some point during our journey, we passed a woman with a baby on her back, a toddler to one side of her and a goat to the other. Then later on avoided running over three boys, under the age of six and covered in dust, with no adult in sight. My colleague explained that they were probably just herding their goats that were on the other side of the road, which was why they were in the process of crossing in front of us as we came upon them.
Every 15 to 20 minutes we would pass some camels, sometimes just one or two, other times a herd of 10 or 15. They are terrified of cars and would clumsily gallop out of the way as we approached them. Looking at the skeletal frames of the camels that we passed along the road, it isn't surprising that so many Somalis are still suffering from malnutrition - or close to starvation.
In the area we were traveling (and throughout many other areas in Somalia), many towns lack proper latrines. Some of these areas don't have anything resembling a toilet, using the areas on the outskirts of town for that purpose. We have some really great field staff, who have to be dedicated to their jobs to spend a week or more in these locations in order to work with the communities in our programs. It is these things that people do here, and elsewhere in the world, that are making a difference.
The landscape was mostly beige, with trees lacking green leaves (or any leaves at all) and termite McMansions three feet high, engulfing the few trees and cacti out there. You could almost hear the trees and cacti gasping for breath, as they were being suffocated by the encroaching termites.
At some point during our journey, we passed a woman with a baby on her back, a toddler to one side of her and a goat to the other. Then later on avoided running over three boys, under the age of six and covered in dust, with no adult in sight. My colleague explained that they were probably just herding their goats that were on the other side of the road, which was why they were in the process of crossing in front of us as we came upon them.
Every 15 to 20 minutes we would pass some camels, sometimes just one or two, other times a herd of 10 or 15. They are terrified of cars and would clumsily gallop out of the way as we approached them. Looking at the skeletal frames of the camels that we passed along the road, it isn't surprising that so many Somalis are still suffering from malnutrition - or close to starvation.
In the area we were traveling (and throughout many other areas in Somalia), many towns lack proper latrines. Some of these areas don't have anything resembling a toilet, using the areas on the outskirts of town for that purpose. We have some really great field staff, who have to be dedicated to their jobs to spend a week or more in these locations in order to work with the communities in our programs. It is these things that people do here, and elsewhere in the world, that are making a difference.
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