A Berkad is a traditional rainwater catchment system. LIFE has worked with various villages in Somalia to build berkads. Recently they built one outside of Hargeisa. A local doctor is part of the community that collects the water, treats it, and then uses it in his hospital. Many villages have asked for help to build berkads because they receive adequate rainfall and it helps store and collect the water for future use. Below are some photos from the final project.
Ahmed Receives Wheelchair, Dignity Restored!
Ahmed has been crippled for 15 years. He did not have a wheelchair so he would crawl on the ground in order to get around or he had to depend on someone else to take him places. Ahmed is 45 years old and received a wheelchair for the first time. He also received a special-made toilet. Our partners said that by giving Ahmed a wheelchair and toilet tailored to his needs that we were giving him the opportunity to a dignified life.
Somali Nursing Students Distribution Nutritious Rice in Somaliland
The nursing students from the Amoud Health Science faculty conduct family visits in the community. This semester they have been going to an area where people have returned to live after being in Ethiopia. During the war they fled from Somaliland to Ethiopia and now they have come back. In this specific area are the poorest of the poor.
In the initial visit from the nursing students they took a family health assessment where they assessed the nutritional status (MUAC assessment tool) of the children under five. In this specific area they found that some of the families who had children were malnourished or in danger of malnutrition. Some of the families could not provide three meals a day for their children. The students brought nutritious rice packages to give out to the families.
In Borma there is an orphanage with about 90 children between the of 3 and 16. The students went there to talk about health education and spend time with the children. They delivered also delivered one box of nutritious rice for the children.
