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. 

Mostly Kid Photos

Over the past several weeks it’s been mostly settling in to our new-ish routines. We haven’t traveled outside of Nairobi except for work. Kenya has much to offer and we’ll be partaking soon enough. For the time being it’s been good to focus a bit on the new job and explore our new city first.

visit from my beloved finance controller (Kenyan) from Burundi

In February, the girls’ school organized a “circus” where the kids were the performers. It was quite cute and it’s still strange to me to see my daughters performing. They seem quite comfortable in front of large crowds and I suppose that is part of the educational experience. At their age, I certainly wasn’t in fashion shows, performing acrobatics or even doing competitive running. 

the "circus"

Carnival is also a fairly big thing in many parts of Europe. At the girls’ school, which is French, they had an event where children were supposed to wear costumes, possibly like some schools in the US might do on Halloween. Only here they go a step further and have the kids parade around the playing field a few times. I’m not sure why. It’s sort of fun for the children to walk around, showing off their costumes and gives the parents opportunities to take photos. Doing all these events at this school for the first time, most of which are quite different, not only from our own experiences in elementary school but also a bit different from their experiences at the Belgian school in Bujumbura.

carnival

In March, we celebrated our tenth anniversary. Crazy. Given all that’s happened, it’s amazing what we have been able to cram into ten years. In some ways it seems longer – but not in a bad way. Ten years ago we were in Tanzania. Our Zanzibar beach wedding took place on at sunrise in the presence of our friends, Tim and Ingrid (who are now in Egypt). We were moving to the northern part of the country (I had already been there a couple of months) to work at the Burundian refugee camps. We would move into a tiny little house in a remote part of the world. It certainly was the acid test for a new marriage but it turned out to be a pretty intense but wonderful period in our lives.

elephant sa

her father in her eyes

Later in March we visited the elephant sanctuary. We’d been there before with Kiran when she was younger but she didn't have any memory of it. We had been visiting Nairobi for Priya’s prenatal checkup when she was pregnant with Kinaya. That would mean that she was probably a little over one and a half at the time. Time flies.

first lost tooth (pulled it out herself)

windy on our roof

The first quarter of 2017 is behind us. Off to Somalia next week. Heading to the Kenyan coast after that. Serbia in June. Then back to Somalia. Summer plans to Europe and the US are underway. Hang on to your hats.

 

Post Holidays and Somalia

Okay, so we’re already into April and I haven’t updated this blog a posting on the holidays. Been busy, you know, with the severe drought and everything. But I’m carving out some time to catch up.

Where was I? Ah, the holidays. After the holidays we were soon back to our routines. The word routine gets a bad rap but in my mind it’s generally something positive. We have accumulated some routines because a) we need to do them and b) because we want to do them. That’s why we do them all the time. Even since I was young I enjoyed having routines. As I get older, I’m likely to be an annoying, rigid old man.

The third week of January the family headed up to the forest in Nairobi to participate in the Women’s March. Admittedly I’m not the activist type. I’ve participated in a couple protests in my life but it’s not really something I do on a regular basis. I’m not sure what that says about me but I don’t think it’s that I lack conviction. It may be more a matter of prioritization of convictions. I tend to be more consumed by things that don’t involve making a sign or standing on a street corner. I have protested in my past but not so much in recent years.

This event was more a walk in the forest with several hundred of our closest friends than a protest. I’m not sure why it took place in an unpopulated area but I’m sure we were instrumental in changing the mindset of hundreds of eucalyptus trees.

Somalia

In February I made my second trip to Somalia. It was as crazy as the first one but I enjoyed this one a bit more. I went with a colleague, Nicole, who supports us from the regional office. We took the early morning flight on a Monday and were in Mogadishu by about 8:30. After clearing “immigration” we were in the armored vehicle, accompanied by two armed vehicle escorts, and on our way. 

dusty but protected

Unlike last time where we went straight to visit clinics, this time was more civilized. We stopped at the office, had a bite to eat, some coffee, etc. Once we had regrouped, we were off again to visit a couple of our clinics. 

from inside one of the clinics

Given the effort and cost needed to support these trips (especially the security protocols), one needs to make sure that they are effective and strategic. But I do get the sense that staff and local authorities are appreciative of the exchanges and it’s a good opportunity for me to get a better sense of what is going on.

The backdrop this time was the intensifying drought conditions. We’ve been scaling up, raising funds, scaling up even more, generating more funding, etc. The drought was really settling about the same time I was in this new job. It’s not the easiest way to get off the ground in a new position but I’m happy for the opportunity to use my skills in this way. I’ve been doing this work for a long time and, as depressing horrible as the situation is in Somalia, it’s good to be a part of this team and the donors/partners that are all working together to respond. I’ve always preferred to be on the field rather than on the sidelines watching.

the team

hitting the waves

After a little over a day in Mogadishu we were off to Garowe, Puntland. Distances are deceivingly long in Somalia and I was happy to make this trek in an airplane rather than on foot with a herd of camels (though the pastoralist lifestyle does intrigue me).

shelters of the drought displaced

In Garowe we met with the team and were able to fit in a trip further north to Qardho. This is an important area for the drought response. We recently rehabilitated a borehole, supplied it with a sizeable generator, and it is not only providing water to some displaced people who have built shelters nearby, it is used to fill water tankers that are nearly constantly trucking water to desperate villages hundreds of kilometers away. It takes about 40 min. to fill a truck from this borehole which is about 315 meters deep. In some more remote areas we are installing solar pumps to eliminate the need for these poor communities to procure fuel – something we want to expand over the coming months.

wonderful face

We’ve also been doing cash transfers. Donors have caught on that this has proven to be an effective way to assist the most vulnerable. It’s fast (cash to phone), taps into local markets, and people can make their own decisions as to their most urgent needs. We supply phones for those who don’t have them. Amazingly, mobile phone coverage in Somalia is better than many parts of the US.

Garowe

somewhat of a bag problem

After Garowe we flew back to Nairobi, via Mogadishu. When I first began this position I was concerned that the trips to Somalia would be an unpopular part of my job due to the need for heightened security and the overall fragile situation in the country. In fact it’s turning out to be quite the contrary. It’s a fascinating place and most Somalis I know are optimistic about the future of the country. No one is under the illusion that the road ahead will be easy, particularly in the face of the current drought, but after decades of repeated droughts and civil war most seem to feel that things are headed in the right direction. The new government is in place. Aid is starting to increase. The rains, which are supposed to start now, would be huge right now. We’ll see what happens.

desperately needed water