Traveling to Somalia generally improves by the month.
There are setbacks, of course, but overall the trend is positive. Initially
when going to the country I took UN or EU flights. Now I prefer to travel on
commercial flights. They’re cheaper. They generally serve food. I can usually
get through immigration faster. And the terminal is far nicer. Granted,
networking isn’t quite the same since so many people I collaborate with are
still taking the other flights but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
Mogadishu
In September I returned to Somalia, first to Mogadishu and
then traveled on to Puntland (Garowe). While in Mogadishu I supported a visitor
from our HQ in NY. It’s always fascinating to bring people to the country for
the first time and to show them how things are first hand. It’s never what
people think. There are certainly bad things and I don’t try to avoid them. But
there are also good things and it’s important to balance out peoples
preconceived notions about the country.
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| a quick stop at the beach for watermelon and an espresso |
If most of what you know about Somalia comes from the press
or from the occasional movie, then you likely have a warped view. That would
probably apply to most countries. I certainly don’t claim to have the ultimate
perspective on the country but I do have firsthand experience traveling to many
areas and talking with people where I go. I’m now a resident taxpayer and I’m
here almost every week. Few foreigners have this access and I feel fortunate to
have this opportunity.
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| rubble from a haunted past |
The first question I’m usually asked is regarding whether or
not it is safe. In short, probably not, at least not compared to Switzerland
for example. But if you take the necessary precautions, do your homework,
remain vigilant, etc., there is a lot that you can see and do. It’s not cheap,
however. Security support is like a lot of things: you generally get what you
pay for.
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| resilient people will find ways to get by |
During this visit in September we traveled to the internal
displacement areas on the outskirts of the city. It’s something I normally do
to show people both the hardship/need but also the amazing work that it being
done to support Somalis. Local and international organizations are working very
hard to provide basic services and fill gaps in humanitarian support. The nascent
government is growing in strength but it will be a long time before it can
fully support itself financially. In the meantime, people like us a are doing
what we can to provide support as well as prepare them for future humanitarian
and economic shocks.
Garowe
From Mogadishu I left my colleague to return to Nairobi,
safe and sound. I headed on to Garowe, which is in the northern part of the
country. I’ve been to the area several times before. This time I would not get
out of the town to see activities. My time would be spent conducting a
listening session with staff as well as inaugurating the new safe space for women.
The former I discussed in a previous post (discussions we are having to eliminate
sexual harassment of women in the workplace as well as make sure that
harassment and exploitation are not happening in the work that we are doing in
service of beneficiaries.
The inauguration was a bit of a surprise, actually. As a
team we had agreed to create these spaces for women to pray, nurse, etc. Once
created they are off limits to men. So far they have been a hit and women had
communicated how thankful they are to have the organization support them in
this way. However the Garowe team went a step further. In addition to kitting
the room out with some nice furnishing, they got together to prepare a little
inauguration, complete with a ribbon (garland) cutting ceremony and cake. It
was very sweet of them and it made me even more grateful that we’d taken this
step to support them. You make hundreds of decisions every week and you often
never know how they are received. An occasional acknowledgement is pretty cool.
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