Distribution to Fire Victims

At the beginning of March 2013 a fire ignited amongst the makeshift houses of the internally displaced people (IDP) camp near State House in Hargeisa. The fire quickly spread consuming the houses and belongings of 109 families. Initially there was a response from several aid and non-governmental organizations; however, by the middle of March the assistance had come to a stand-still.

Upon hearing of the situation, we at LIFE decided that we must do something to further assist the victims of the fire with the little remaining items that we have in storage. With an assortment of clothing and shoes, we put together 109 packages consisting of 11 items, 3 pairs of shoes and 8 articles of clothing. 

In coordination with the Ministry of Resettlements Rehabilitations and Reconstructions (MRR&R), we organized the distribution of the packages to take place on the 9th of April. On that day, a representative from each of the 109 families came to the office of MRR&R where they received their package. The people were happy and excited to receive their gift of shoes and clothes.

Zamzam Ahan Dubeh and her two children sit in the MRR&R compound after being given their package of shoes and clothing. They have been in the IDP camp for 5 months.

Mohamed Amal is married and has 3 children. He is a chemistry teacher and speaks English, yet he also has been forced to move into the IDP camp due to the recent heavy rains. Now, his temporary settlement at the camp has been burned down.

Kahar Jama has been living in the IDP camp for the last 22 years. She moved there at the beginning of the civil war.

Food Distribution in Puntland

Shabelle Camp had 700 families in September when LIFE International staff arrived to distribute food. The families came from North of the UN-assisted areas of Southern Somalia and could not reach camps around Mogadishu.

These people from the Hobyo, Xarardher, Dusamareb, and Beledweyne groups are use to hard work but through fighting and drought they have lost all their animals and homes.

Our staff worked with camp authorities to identify the most needy families and form them into groups of 12-15 who each received 50 kg of rice and a container of oil, enough for one month.

Only 250 families could be supplied from the resources we had. There is a critical need to continue supplies and to supply the remaining families. The only major supporters of this camp are the Islamic Relief and rich pilgrims returning from the Haj.

We made a second visit in October and supplied food for 400 families. The camp is made of cardboard homes, not sustainable for rainy weather. Plastic sheeting costs about 10 dollars per home. Right after we visited we found out 200 homes were burned down in one incident.

Many refugees have little clothing and the children get sick, due to the lack of medical facilities and doctors. For now we have provided four pit latrines (to serve 5-600 families) and started two wells.