22.02.10
An increasing number of internally displaced people in Puntland, northeastern Somalia, call for an increase of humanitarian assistance. Clean drinking water, food, shelter, health services and education are top of the list.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is one of the few humanitarian organizations operating in the town of Qardho, in the Puntland region of Somalia. However, with the increasing number of IDPs from south and central Somalia and the drought-affected communities in the region, the humanitarian situation is overwhelming
“They are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, many of them are living in very poor shelter conditions, poor access to clean drinking water, education and health,” said DRC Regional Director, Peter Klansoe. “I am appealing to the donors and other agencies working in Somalia or interested in working in Somalia, despite the security conditions - to assist these IDPs and also help local host populations in Qardho town and in Puntland, generally,” he added.
Habiba Aden Khayr, an IDP from south-central Somalia, has lived in Qardho for many years. She has seen good and bad times. But now she says, the situation is extremely difficult for her and her entire family.
“We are experiencing a lot of problems, we are hungry,” said Habiba, who lives in Ayan IDP camp in the town of Qardho. “This small pot of rice that I am cooking is the first meal for my children and this is what they will have for the day,” she lamented.
Every morning, Habiba wakes up at 6 am in search of work in the town of Qardho. She gets work as cleaner - sweeping compounds, washing dishes and cloths for people. Today, she was lucky to get a job, but she only made 20,000 Somali Shillings (0.62 US dollar), which is not enough to feed her family of ten.
“We are in need of shelter and our children have no education, therefore we need schools for our children. But above all, we need food,” she said
Pressure is mounting on the host community to share the already overstretched scarce resources with the IDPs in this less productive town. The mayor of Qardho expressed concerns that the town was unable to provide job opportunities for the IDPs, and appealed for humanitarian assistance. There are about 2,500 IDPs including those from south and central Somalia living in nine camps in Qardho town.
“DRC expanded its operations in Qardho recently, in response to the pressing humanitarian situations there. We are implementing activities such as improving shelter conditions, providing mattresses, distributing Jerricans for water and other non-food items that people can use in their daily lives,” says DRC Regional Director, Peter Klansoe.
DRC is also implementing livelihood projects aimed at developing the skills of the beneficiaries. About 32 men and women are currently being trained in tailoring skills to improve the socio-economic situations of IDPs and host communities in Qardho. DRC hopes to equip these IDPs with skills that will help them generate income and enhance their livelihoods.
“When I joined this tailoring class one month ago, I knew nothing about sewing machine and how it works, but now I know a lot and I can work with it,” said one of the IDP students, Gudi Abdikheir. “After graduation, I will try to open a place to improve my living condition and that of my entire family,” said concludes.
Gardo started to receive IDPs in 1988, most of them fleeing fighting in northern Somalia during Siyad Barre’s regime and others escaping conflict and drought in eastern Ethiopia. Since then the traditional survival mechanisms for internally displaced people are slowly depleting.
Somalia's dismal humanitarian crisis is attributed to political and security crises that seem to have no end in sight. Relief workers say that the humanitarian catastrophe has been deteriorating in the past 18 months following an upsurge in fighting, particularly in south and central regions.
Background
According to the UN, more than 3.2 million people - nearly half the country's population are in need of urgent assistance. These figures represent 22 per cent in the country's urban centres and 66 per cent in the rural areas.
At least 63,000 civilians have been displaced since the beginning of this year, particularly in Mogadishu and Belet Weyne of Hiiran Region, following fierce fighting between the government and opposition Islamists groups. Indiscriminate shelling of civilian neighborhoods, particularly in the capital, have forced thousands of Somalis to flee each month in all directions - Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen. The flight to Yemen involves risky boat rides across the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
Close to 1.5 million Somalis have been displaced internally since 1991 and are living in makeshift camps dotted all over the country. Of these, up to 500,000 of them live along the Afgooye corridor - barely some 30 km outside the capital. They live under harsh conditions, with no proper access to clean drinking water, food, health and sanitation services and education. Majority of the IDPs rely on kinship and social safety networks to provide for their basic needs.