The Drought Continues

Having the hardest time keeping up with this blog. Lots going on. As always, more you have to tell, the less time you have to write about it. 

my leg

I'm sitting in the Nairobi airport watching news about Trump pulling out of the Paris accord. My leg is elevated on a chair due to a slight infection. I had a bit of a fall last weekend as I was teaching Kiran how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. Priya had packed bandages and disinfectant in the case that she wiped out and it turned out to be me. Fortunately I'm comfortable enough in my manhood to handle lots of pick, princess band aids. 

Since the last posting I’ve been back to Somalia, spent a weekend on the Kenyan coast and done numerous other things. I’ll start with the trip to Somalia.

This recent trip I made with my supervisor, Kurt. He’s easy to travel with and overall the trip went pretty well. No question that Mogadishu is a bit complicated regardless of who you are traveling with. I do look forward to the day when the security situation in the city allows for more relaxed trips to the country. 

Though things were not as tense as when I went in December (with the elections) it was nonetheless more restrictive than when I went the last time. The big difference was that we were unable to take the main road heading out towards the area where we support those who have been displaced by the drought. It was unfortunate since they tend to get a boost from these types of visits and I think it would have been interesting for us as well. Alas, it was not meant to be, at least for this time.

At 4-ish on Monday morning the taxi picked up Kurt and proceeded to pick me up and we headed to the airport. We arrived in Mogadishu around the beginning of the workday (though not the work week given that their first day of the week is Sunday). It was a bit time consuming to get through immigration again. I know they’re trying to get their procedures sorted out and we’re also in need to making sure we’re aware of all the changes. Hoping it gets a bit more streamlined soon.

We were soon in the armored vehicle and eventually out of the fortified airport compound. We drove the mile or so to the office, weaving in and out of security barriers and passing through multiple checkpoints. Once in the heavily guarded office compound it’s actually somewhat serene. We went straight up to the guesthouse part of the building, had a bite to eat and discussed our plan for the day. After about 45 minutes, we were back in the vehicle, accompanied by the two armed support vehicles, and we sped off to visit a couple of clinics. I won’t go into details but they were good visits with Kurt asking a lot of good questions about our work. We’ve both done this sort of thing many, many times but he’s done it a lot more than I have.

waiting area of one of the clinics

By late morning we had finished our visits and stopped at the same restaurant on the beach that I’d been to in previous visits. Espresso, grapefruit juice and massive slices of watermelon. I keep saying it, and it’s contrary to what many in the West might think, but Mogadishu was a wonderful and safe city. According to my staff, it likely won’t ever return to the safety that it once had but it has the potential to return to being a great city.

Afternoons are generally not very active in Somalia. People generally work until prayers at 1pm, then have lunch and by the time they’re done the day is mostly gone. The more dedicated return to work but it’s not the norm. The government is trying to crack down on this, particularly with civil servants, but it will take some time to change. If it ever does.

In this case it suited us given that we had plenty to do and the remainder of my day was filled with short meetings with staff and lots of emails.

The next day we had breakfast and basically headed to the airport. Even though the airport is small, the security is as intense as you might imagine. Or more so. The flight to Garowe takes a few hours and soon we were out in the hot, dry desert of Puntland. Our guys were there to pick us up and we were off. It’s about 45 min. from the dirt airstrip to town. There is another airport that is closer but it’s been under repair.

one of the many goat carcasses

The desolation of the drought-impacted area was impressive. Even more impressive was occasionally seeing camels or goats out in the middle of nowhere, emaciated, ribs showing, but hanging on. Over the course of the next couple of days we would end up seeing many dead carcasses near the roadside. The rains were still yet to come at this point and it was getting pretty desperate.

The following day we took a trip to Burtinle, a couple of hours south of Garowe on a pretty bad road. A meeting with a large group of local elders had been arranged and, upon arrival, we immediately found ourselves at the head table.

meeting the elders

While my head of office, Hassan, translated, we listened to speakers one after the other, from the mayor to the council members to other individuals who had something to say. I was quite surprised that most of the comments were quite positive as people were thankful for the work that we had been doing in the area. We have been trucking water to remote communities and various other activities, including supporting a clinic. Of course there were appeals for us to do more. And rightly so. Most in the room were thin and gaunt. Many had lost family members as well as livelihoods (i.e. livestock). It was fantastic to meet with them and put a face to where we work. I told them so and they told me that they were happy to put a face on the person at the other end of the aid they were receiving.

meeting with the Puntland VP

The next day we were off again after breakfast, back to the airport to catch our flight back to Mogadishu and on to Nairobi. The whole trip was less than a week but it feels longer. You fit so much in and you see so much. With the exception of the coming couple of months (Ramadan followed by my vacation), it’s likely that my trips will increase in frequency. There’s a lot going on and it makes more sense for me to spend more time in the country. There’s a commitment by the international community to move more operations from Nairobi to Somalia and we are doing the same. At some point in the future my position will likely be based there. But not yet.