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How Trócaire is helping families forced to flee their homes build a new life.
Ambiyo and Mahat have nine children; Willow (14), Issack (12), Fathan (10), Nasteha (8), Mohammad (4), twins Zelinab and Isnino (2) and baby Feisal. The family’s third daughter Ardo, died aged two.
Ambiyo, her husband Mahat, and their eight young children were forced to flee their home due to a fourth consecutive year of drought which has ravaged Somalia.
The Mahat family left their home in Dor Murah village in Bakool region, approximately 55 kms from Luuq, after their crops failed and the last of their 200 goats died. They say their only option was to leave – or stay and face starvation and death.
After walking for three days, in March 2022 they arrived at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Boyle, outside Luuq in Gedo Region, southern Somalia.
The family had “nothing but the clothes on our backs”.
“I was five months pregnant with our 9th child and carried one of our little twin girls on my front and the other on my back,” Ambiyo says.
“My husband helped the other younger children and the older ones walked. It was very difficult walking in the heat of the day. It was cold at night. We carried a water container and got water from bore holes along the way. Apart from the goat meat there was no food. Myself and my husband did not eat at all, we survived on water. When we arrived at the IDP camp we very weak and tired.”
“We met people who lost family members on the journey,” Mahat says. “They had to bury them on the roadside. We could see dead animal carcass along the way.”
The Mahat family are among hundreds of thousands of Somalis forced to flee their homes in Somalia.
In 2022, the country faced a devastating food crisis following five consecutive below-average rainy seasons. The current drought is the longest and most severe in recent history.
Livestock are now dying of thirst and hunger due to the drought in #Somalia. The situation is critical https://t.co/wE8hYJeWbL
— Trócaire (@trocaire) April 18, 2022
Irish Journalist, Sally Hayden tweets on a visit to Somalia with Trócaire in 2022.
The prolonged drought, high food and water prices and displacement are driving the country to the brink of famine. One in two Somalis is facing food insecurity. Over half of the country’s children are reported to be suffering acute malnutrition.
In 2023, an estimated 8.25 million people, nearly half of Somalia’s population, will need immediate lifesaving assistance.
In Somalia, Trócaire runs the entire health services in the Gedo region, including a hospital in Luuq town and an outreach health clinic near the IDP camp in Boyle. Trócaire is currently treating more than 240,000 people each year. In recent months, the number of young children presenting with malnutrition has trebled.
Trócaire also works with local partners and communities to increase their resilience and sustainability as well as supporting women’s empowerment programmes.
Today, the Mahat family are rebuilding their lives at the IDP camp in Boyle. They live in a small shelter approximately 12 feet by 10 feet, built from sticks and twigs covered with scraps of material, plastic and cardboard.
Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Boyle where many have fled in search of relief. Makeshift shelters built from sticks. The scorched land offers no vegetation except for withered bushes. Photo: Joy Obuya/Trócaire.
“When we arrived at the camp, we had nothing,” Ambiyo says. “The older children went to the bush and got sticks to help build the shelter. We gathered bits of plastic and material from our neighbours.” The family used the cardboard from boxes of plumpy nut (a nutritious food) they received from Trócaire to fill in gaps.
The family also received medical care at the Trócaire-run hospital when they arrived at the camp. The Mahat’s daughter Zelinab (2) was suffering from malnutrition and was hospitalised for 11 days where she got milk and food. When Zelinab was released from hospital, the family were given a food basket which lasted for a month.
Ambiyo's daughter Zelinab undergoing MUAC measurement by Trócaire staff. Photo: Joy Obuya/Trócaire.
On June 11th 2022, Ambiyo went into labour with her 9th child. She started to bleed at home and was rushed to the nearby Alcara Health Centre run by Trócaire. There she gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Feisal and mother and baby were both given additional support.
The family are now rebuilding their lives and the oldest three children are starting the Trócaire-run school in the IDP camp.
“They have never been to school. They are very excited. They will have uniforms and copies and books,” Ambiyo says. “My oldest daughter Willow really wants to learn.”
Willow and Nasteha at school. Photo: Joy Obuya/Trócaire
Ambiyo’s biggest wish is for a better life for her family.
“Most of all I want my children’s lives to be better. I want them to go to school and to have a good education. I did not go to school and my husband did not go to school. I am happy to be in Luuq as we are near the health services so if my children get sick, they will get help. It is good to be here where we have supports. Being here gives me hope.”
Trócaire is celebrating 50 years of working together with partners, people who we support, staff, donors and supporters to create positive and lasting change. One Day showcases the profound impact of these collective efforts, highlighting the countless “One Days” where lives have been transformed. Together, for a just world. Explore more One Day stories here. |
