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After drought, heavy rains plaguing the Gedo region of Somalia

The heavy rains and flash floods come only a few months after a devastating drought left over six million people in need of humanitarian assistance end of 2017. ACTED and SADO supported drought-affected people to tackle the consequences of heavy rains that triggered deadly flash flooding in Bardhere, Gedo region.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the current floods affecting Bardhere are some of the worst the Gedo region has ever seen. The flooding is compounding an already fragile humanitarian situation, with an estimated 5.4 million people in need of assistance in Somalia, 2.7 million of whom require urgent life-saving assistance.

People displaced by drought at their most vulnerable

With many camps located in low-lying areas, internally displaced people remain the most vulnerable. Qadijo, a 53-year-old mother of five, lives in an IDP camp of Bardera district. Qadijo was displaced from her home during the 2017 drought which swept away all of her livestock.

With no source of livelihood, Qadijo came to Bardera with her children and mother to start a new life. She often relied on food and clothing provided by the Bardera Mosque, which was hardly enough to satisfy her family’s needs.

She spent her days restless and hopeless trying to figure out how she would fend for her family. Their flimsy shelter was made of sticks and thatches of straw covered with worn-out clothes, and at the verge of collapsing.  The family was constantly exposed to the harsh climatic conditions. Their structure had only two beds and they lacked mattresses and blankets, exposing them to endless nights of cold winds, which made Qadijo’s 87-year-old mother become weak and sick. Their situation was further aggravated by the floods that swept away their temporary shelter. Water sources were also affected, posing an additional crucial threat. Destroyed latrines, stagnant water, and contaminated boreholes heightened the health risks as well as the risk of waterborne and communicable diseases.

I don’t know what we would have done if we had not received this shelter and hygiene kits. They have brought so much comfort within our family, at our most vulnerable time.

Qadijo

Shelter and water: crucial interventions to save lives

Qadijo and her family benefitted from ACTED and SADO emergency interventions. Alongside with other 1,500 families, they received an emergency shelter kit including a tarpaulin, blankets, 3 mats, 1 mosquito net, 1 bucket, 1 shovel and 2 ropes, and a hygiene kit with 2 water jerricans, 45 chlorofloc sachets, 3 bar soaps and 3 sanitary packs.

 

 

ACTED 2018
Qadijo Kerow in her shelter at Hawalcadey camp after receiving the shelter and hygiene kit items.

The hygiene kit distribution, along with hygiene sensitization, allowed the IDP communities to access clean and safe water. They were sensitized on the importance of best hygiene practices that would mitigate the risk of disease outbreak.

Through this StartFund funded project, ACTED and SADO were able to support 1,500 families in recovering from the impacts of the floods and go on about their day to day life.