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Helping families to find refuge

Trócaire is assisting families forced to flee their homes build a new life

Ambiyo and Mahat Ibrahim 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.

Thu Jul 6 2023 - 18:04

Ambiyo Ibrahim, 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 55km from Luuq, after their crops failed and the last of their 200 goats died. They say their only options were 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 the Gedo region of southern Somalia.

The family had “nothing but the clothes on our backs”, Ambiyo recalls. “I was five months pregnant with our ninth child and carried one of our little twin girls on my front and the other on my back.

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My children have never been to school. They are very excited. They will have uniforms and copies and books

“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, my husband and I did not eat at all, we survived on water. When we arrived at the IDP camp we were 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 carcasses along the way.”

The dire geo-political and social situation in the province

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.

The prolonged drought, high food and water prices and displacement are driving Somalia to the brink of famine. One in two Somalis is facing food insecurity. More than half of the country’s children are reported to be suffering acute malnutrition.

In 2023, an estimated 8.25 million people, nearly half of the population, will need immediate lifesaving assistance.

Trócaire is the region’s healthcare provider

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 11 sq metres in size, built from sticks and twigs covered with scraps of material, plastic and cardboard.

“When we arrived at the camp, we had nothing. 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,” Ambiyo explains.

The family used the cardboard from boxes of plumpy nut, a nutrient-rich peanut-based paste nutritious food, which they received from Trócaire to fill in gaps.

They 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.

My husband and I did not eat at all, we survived on water. When we arrived at the IDP camp we were very weak and tired

On June 11th 2022, Ambiyo went into labour with her ninth 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.”

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.”

For 50 years, Trócaire has been working with supporters, partners and communities to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and injustice and respond to the crises they create. Together we bring about positive and lasting change for a just world. Discover more here

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