High-level Visit 1

After the week in Diani, we returned to Nairobi where I would be launched into one of the busier times of the year. The next week I spent in global meetings, thankfully hosted in Nairobi just a few blocks from our house. No need to travel, and in fact I was able to commute by bicycle, my preferred mode of transportation.

The meetings involved our country leadership from around the globe. It was the first time we had met as a group (just us) since probably 2019 in Tunis. Some new faces. Some people I’ve known for over 15 years. Good to connect and discuss some critical issues. It was the first time in our history that men were in the minority in this group. We’ve come a long way.

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On the heels of the week-long meetings (i.e. at 4am the next morning), I would move on to my next commitment. We had been asked to host our Senior Vice President, and a small entourage, for a short visit in Somalia. We had some fairly limiting parameters. He only had two nights available and he had some specific activities that he wanted to visit. And I couldn’t return to where we went when he last visited in January 2018. We ended up deciding on Puntland in northern Somalia where it appeared we could pull off such a visit. Complicated logistics in the country can make tight visits unravel in a hurry. Puntland is the safest bet since travel there tends to be more reliable than other places, largely due to its stability.

We met at the Nairobi airport around 4:30am. For me this is a very regular thing. Checking in for flights to/from Mogadishu can be chaotic. Usually there are lots of massive bags, partially due to the fact that shipping things in and out of Somalia is not easy, or cheap. I’ve seen car tires, small appliances, etc. all going in as checked luggage (but no poorly sealed buckets of raw fish as we experienced in the interior of Tanzania). There are usually lots of tired children, elderly needing assistance, issues at immigration, etc. and things that end up making the process a bit less orderly. You just need to show up early and take it as it comes. It’s like fighting against an ocean rip tide. Getting frustrated and pushing against it won’t help. Just be mentally prepared, relax, and know that you’ll be clear of it eventually.

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Garowe

The flight went directly to Garowe without passing through Mogadishu. That was a big bonus and we gained considerable time. Immigration in Puntland is more straight forward than it used to be. As a semi-autonomous part of Somalia, they have at times created redundant processes as they have navigated their love-hate relationship with the federal government. Currently there seems to be more love than hate, though it’s not always rosy.

steel door with deadbolt lock (same for the window which didn't open anyway)

Normally I stay at the office guesthouse when I'm there but because we were such a large group (six altogether), and security is simplified if we don't split up, we all stayed in a hotel. This was a new, and quite pleasant, experience. Though I enjoy being at the guesthouse, I must admit that having AC, satellite TV and a restaurant was nice.

The town of Garowe has grown significantly over the years. Migration is fed in large part to the greater security it provides compared to almost every other part of the country. The roads are good. Buildings are under construction everywhere. I read that over 80% of the energy being consumed is renewable (solar, wind). I don’t know if it’s sustainable, but for now it seems to be moving in the right direction.

The first afternoon we were there we met with staff. It’s the thing I probably enjoy the most when visiting the field. This team in particular seems to have a lot of energy and ambition. It’s good for them to have a high-level visit like this in that it feeds some of that motivation.

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Burtinle

The next day we were on the road shortly after 7:00am. We had a long day ahead and we needed to get an early start. We needed to travel in a convoy of five vehicles: three for our team (plus a couple of Garowe colleagues) and two mandatory security vehicles at the front and back.

We arrived in the town of Burtinle by mid-morning and proceeded straight to meet with the mayor. I’ve been to this town a few times and have met with previous mayors. There is generally a lower level of corruption in this part of Somalia than elsewhere and the local government had recently moved to general suffrage for local elections for the first time. It sort of gives hope that this is the direction the rest of the country might be headed in the future. Maybe.

The visit was cordial and I think it reflected the good collaboration we have had over the past several years. It was good to finish up, however, and head out to visit some activities. The plan for the day was to load up the morning with visits, have lunch early afternoon and then begin heading back. You don’t want to be on the road after 5pm.

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The first stop was a safe space for women and girls that we have supported over the years. They do a lot of skills training (henna tattooing, tie-dye, tailoring, basket weaving and other classes). These places tend to be very valuable to the community and it’s good that we can help keep them continue to be operational. I think the downside is that there just isn’t a big enough economy to support everyone with a livelihood once they’ve been trained. We need to figure out a way to tap into new markets such that we can diversify the training a bit more. Regardless, it plays a vital role in the community.

dangling camel strips

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The next stop was at a market in town. We support these women’s savings and loan groups that turn into small businesses. We were able to visit a couple of these businesses and hear their stories. Pretty exciting to see that they are able to generate an income. It’s not huge but they are able to put food on the table.

The third visit was at a mobile health clinic where we provide malnutrition screening focused on children under five years of age. This effort is pretty cool in that it’s a cost-effective way of reaching a lot of people without the cost of a dedicated facility and without them needed to travel long distances to access care. Would be great if we had the funds to expand this further but it was good to see it in action in this community.

healthy (and curious) herd

The final visit, now early afternoon, was to a borehole that we rehabilitated and provided with solar panels to support the water pump. Removing the need for a diesel generator is huge for these communities since they don’t have the means to obtain diesel fuel nor maintain the generators. I’ve visited these boreholes throughout the country and the functionality of the water access can be life or death for these people. It’s always nice to happen upon a pastoralist camel herders passing through. This time it was not to be, though a herd of goats graced us with their presence.

We did see lots of camels as we traveled, however. It was fantastic to see that not only were they putting on weight by they were accompanied by lots of calves. During the drought it was gut-wrenching to see all of the animal carcasses and emaciated animals. We don’t know what the future holds, but at least for now it’s great to see healthy and growing herds.

a good sign to see healthy calves

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Speaking of camels, after the borehole we headed back up the road to a restaurant. We were dusty, hot and a bit dehydrated. We had lots of water available to us in the vehicles but you don’t want to drink too much so as not to be in a situation when you need a toilet and one is not available.

Towns in Somalia often have a few restaurants that are equipped with rooms available to people who need to be less visible. As foreigners, that would include us. It would also include government officials and anyone else who might have a particular security risk.

This room was a bit odd but I’ve seen rooms like this before. There was a sofa and over-stuffed chairs at one end on what appeared to be some sort of stage. My guess is that it is one of the main options for local weddings or important meetings. Good to have something like this in such a remote part of the country.

There is no menu in a place like this, except sometimes in the form of a poster on the wall. In our case, we didn’t even order. The team had arranged in advance to save time and everyone was given the same thing: a plastic plate of rice and, you guessed it, a plastic plate of camel meat.

I’m always curious how foreigners react to this sort of thing. I thought it was good, but the portions were huge. I think most of our guests partook though I think one of them just ate rice.

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We were soon on our way. I had plenty to do in the vehicle so the drive didn’t seem taxing. The pavement is basically non-existent half the time and there is lots of zigzagging, but I managed to avoid motion sickness. We arrived in Garowe around our targeted time and we all went our separate ways. My Somalia phone doesn’t work in Puntland since It’s a different network. So being back in the hotel gave me the opportunity to whittle down some of the messages in my inbox.

I would have another meeting the next morning at 7:30am and then we were off to the airport. This time we would fly to Mogadishu. Half of the team would carry on back to Nairobi. Half would disembark and remain in Mogadishu. I was part of the latter.