23.09.11
From August 2010 until May 2011 Anja Simonsen worked as in intern for the Danish Refugee Council in the Somali region in Ethiopia. During this period she visited communities hosting Somali refugees. She witnessed hardship as well as unity and saw the impact of DRC support. This is one of her stories.
It is around 10 am as my two DRC colleagues and I start our journey towards Koto Roble; the newly selected area for a DRC intervention from our Community Driven Recovery Development Program (CDRD). The sun is already up and giving us a 30 degree warm welcome. The surroundings resemble my idea of a dessert as the dry wind is blowing clouds of dust into the air and bushes and trees seems robbed of their freshness. The dry season is upon the Somali Regional State, Ethiopia.
As we drive the 7 km long drive from Kebrebeyah town to Koto Roble community, we pass people walking with their camels and donkeys, using the animals to transport water for their communities.
Here I meet Aisha Ahmed. Aisha is a 38-year old woman living in Koto Roble community which consists of 360 households with 6 people in average per household. As I sit in Aisha’s buul (traditional Somali house) she begins to tell me about her family: “I am married and together we have 11 children, 4 boys and 7 girls. Three of my children go to school. The rest of my children are too young to go to school.”
The family is working together. Aisha’s husband works at the farm and milks the cattle. The young children watch the cattle and the elder children help to prepare the meals. I ask if Aisha and her family are newcomers to the community. She explains: “My grandfather is from this community; now we are living here. I was born and married here in this buul.” Hence, the family of Aisha has been living here for several generations.
She tells me how her forefathers used to live: “The family of my great grand fathers was living as nomads moving from place to place with the animals. Today we live as agro pastoralists, we are farmers. We own 4 cows and 1 ox. We live and support ourselves on the farms. We have maize and sorghum in a piece of land that we own. It is 3 acre. What we eat is from our farms. We don’t have money that we save. When we get the money from selling milk in Kebrebeyah town, we convert it into tea and sugar. Aisha’s story is one among many. I ask Aisha about her neighbours “We love each other but our problem is lack of material. We are not able to help each other, no one has more than the other, we are all the same. If we had materials we would have work and help each other.”
I saw this love demonstrated one day as Aisha returned from fetching water in Kebrebeyah. Aisha had eight jerry cans with water and kept just one for herself and her 11 kids. The rest were being divided among the other community members. It became clear to me how they share whatever little they have. I ask Aisha if there are any ‘good days’ here in Koto Roble?
“Now the day cannot be good because of lack of water. Every day is difficult. Whether it is winter or spring, we live a hard life. When spring is here we are seeking materials for our farms, when it is winter we are lacking the water.”
Aisha’s daily routine reflects a hard life “I get up at 4 o’clock in the morning and go to bed at 9 pm. When I wake up I make breakfast which consists of Somali injera (a round, flat bread made of wheat and flour) and tea. When preparing the breakfast I make two portions, one for breakfast and one for lunch. Only the children eat lunch. My husband and I drink tea, nothing else. After breakfast I clean the children and then I go to Kebrebeyah market to buy the ingrediences needed for making the maize and sorghum from our farms into shuuro (fudge eaten in these communities). When I am at the market, the children look after the cattle and goats. Now it is dry season, so early in the morning I go to Kebrebeyah to fetch water as well.”
Aishas activities even went on into the night. A traditional form of handicraft done in the rural communities throughout time is called harer. This skill was taught to Aisha by her mother; and Aisha passed it on to her daughter Nasri - the knowledge passing from generation to generation. The harar is the main material of the buul and takes around three months to make. Aisha explains: “If I get a chance I can make one in three months but only if I get the chance meaning if I have time to do it. The house materials are made of grass which is not available in the dry season so I bought the material to make the harar. The higher it is placed on the buul, the more expensive.”
I asked Aisha about the challenges facing the community and learned that there is no electricity in this area and a lack of water. The struggle to secure food and water for her children is Aishas first priority. When I ask her about the future of the community she replies: “The DRC are here to look at our progress and our potential; to assist us, to help us, to strengthen us. DRC comes to learn from us and we will learn from them - together we will ensure development.”
This was to be the final remark concluding my visit in Koto Roble with Aisha as my loving host.
