Effects of combined crises - droughts and locust infestation Recurrent droughts and locust infestation have had negative impacts on the livelihoods of vulnerable communities leading to severe humanitarian situations in many parts across Somalia. One of the major effects of drought is displacement, people are forced to move from drought-affected areas in the rural villages to urban and semi-urban areas to seek humanitarian assistance and better livelihood opportunities. Ayan Mohamed Said is a 37-years-old mother of three children, two boys and one girl. She is currently one of the internally displaced persons living in Lebigun village in Burao district, Togdher region. Before the drought, life was good for Ayan and her family. She had a large number of livestock (camel, goats and sheep), but sadly everything changed when the drought hit their areas and destroyed all their livelihood sources. They lost all their livestock due to lack of water and pasture. Ayan and her three children walked long distances to reach Lebigun village in search of food and shelter. “We were pastoralists, our livelihoods were mainly livestock. The drought has decimated my family’s livestock holdings and put my family at risk of severe hunger. I was not able to feed my children. I remember several nights when my children went to bed without eating,” she said. Ayan continued “Our situation was getting worse and worse. We became hopeless, and as a mother, I couldn’t watch my children starving day in day out. I decided to move to the urban areas in search of food. We finally reached here (Lebigun village in Togdher region), where we could barely scrape a living through the small assistance received from our relatives.” Multi-purpose cash assistance. Ayan is one of the beneficiaries of NRC’s life-saving assistance project in Togdher Region which is generously funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). She was amongst 500 drought-affected families who received monthly cash assistance of $85 for a period of four months. This assistance significantly improved the living conditions of Ayan’s family. She used to receive the cash through her mobile phone each month from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Thanks to the German government, who provided an unprecedented amount of humanitarian assistance in Somalia. “The cash assistance allowed me to sustain my family’s basic needs. I was able to buy food, medicine, household items, and a goat to milk for my children. The cash also enabled me to pay off debts that I had incurred from food costs at the onset of the severe drought,” explains Ayan. She also, said “If you have cash, you can buy whatever you want. You can buy 3-4 items at the same time. The cash allowed me to buy what I needed most. For me, one of my key priorities is to buy milk for my children. Our situation is now getting much better. We have food in our house. My children used to sleep on the ground, but now they are sleeping on a mattress. Thanks to NRC and the German government for this life-changing support.” Drought-affected families like Ayan, who lost all their livestock during the drought, will take quite some time to recover and get back on their feet again, but the cash assistance was a lifeline for them that has addressed their basic needs with dignity and flexibility. The cash has also added value to local trade in areas where markets were functioning, even during the drought. Text: Abdulkadir/NRC Photo: Abdulkadir/NRC
Somalia

A cash lifeline for drought-affected families

“We have food in our house. My children used to sleep on the ground, but now they are sleeping on a mattress,” says Ayan. Hers is one 500 families in Somalia that received life-saving cash assistance after drought forced them to flee their homes.

Recurrent droughts and locust infestations are affecting the livelihoods of vulnerable communities in Somalia. In many areas, this has led to severe humanitarian needs.

One of the major effects of drought is displacement. People are increasingly being forced to move from drought-affected rural villages to urban and semi-urban areas to seek humanitarian assistance and better opportunities.

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Ayan Mohamed Said, 37, is a mother of three children. She is currently displaced within Somalia and living in Lebigun village, in the northern region of Togdher.

I remember several nights when my children went to bed without eating
Ayan Mohamed Said

Before the drought, life was good for Ayan and her family. She had a large number of livestock – camels, goats and sheep. But then everything changed.

When the drought came, Ayan lost all her livestock due to the lack of water and pasture. She and her three children were forced to walk long distances in search of food and shelter.

“We were pastoralists and our livelihood was mainly livestock. The drought decimated our livestock and put my family at risk of severe hunger. I was not able to feed my children. I remember several nights when my children went to bed without eating,” she says.

Effects of combined crises - droughts and locust infestation Recurrent droughts and locust infestation have had negative impacts on the livelihoods of vulnerable communities leading to severe humanitarian situations in many parts across Somalia. One of the major effects of drought is displacement, people are forced to move from drought-affected areas in the rural villages to urban and semi-urban areas to seek humanitarian assistance and better livelihood opportunities. Ayan Mohamed Said is a 37-years-old mother of three children, two boys and one girl. She is currently one of the internally displaced persons living in Lebigun village in Burao district, Togdher region. Before the drought, life was good for Ayan and her family. She had a large number of livestock (camel, goats and sheep), but sadly everything changed when the drought hit their areas and destroyed all their livelihood sources. They lost all their livestock due to lack of water and pasture. Ayan and her three children walked long distances to reach Lebigun village in search of food and shelter. “We were pastoralists, our livelihoods were mainly livestock. The drought has decimated my family’s livestock holdings and put my family at risk of severe hunger. I was not able to feed my children. I remember several nights when my children went to bed without eating,” she said. Ayan continued “Our situation was getting worse and worse. We became hopeless, and as a mother, I couldn’t watch my children starving day in day out. I decided to move to the urban areas in search of food. We finally reached here (Lebigun village in Togdher region), where we could barely scrape a living through the small assistance received from our relatives.” Multi-purpose cash assistance. Ayan is one of the beneficiaries of NRC’s life-saving assistance project in Togdher Region which is generously funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). She was amongst 500 drought-affected families who received monthly cash assistance of $85 for a period of four months. This assistance significantly improved the living conditions of Ayan’s family. She used to receive the cash through her mobile phone each month from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Thanks to the German government, who provided an unprecedented amount of humanitarian assistance in Somalia. “The cash assistance allowed me to sustain my family’s basic needs. I was able to buy food, medicine, household items, and a goat to milk for my children. The cash also enabled me to pay off debts that I had incurred from food costs at the onset of the severe drought,” explains Ayan. She also, said “If you have cash, you can buy whatever you want. You can buy 3-4 items at the same time. The cash allowed me to buy what I needed most. For me, one of my key priorities is to buy milk for my children. Our situation is now getting much better. We have food in our house. My children used to sleep on the ground, but now they are sleeping on a mattress. Thanks to NRC and the German government for this life-changing support.” Drought-affected families like Ayan, who lost all their livestock during the drought, will take quite some time to recover and get back on their feet again, but the cash assistance was a lifeline for them that has addressed their basic needs with dignity and flexibility. The cash has also added value to local trade in areas where markets were functioning, even during the drought. Text: Abdulkadir/NRC Photo: Abdulkadir/NRC
An aerial view of Lebigun village, where Ayan now lives. Photo: Abdulkadir/NRC

“Our situation got worse and worse,” Ayan continues. “We became hopeless, and as a mother, I couldn’t watch my children starving day in day out. I decided to move to the urban areas in search of food. We finally reached here [Lebigun village], where we could barely scrape a living through the small assistance received from our relatives.”

Life-saving cash assistance

Ayan is one of the beneficiaries of NRC’s life-saving assistance project in Togdher Region, which is generously funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). Hers was among 500 drought-affected families that received monthly cash assistance of USD 85 for a period of four months.

Effects of combined crises - droughts and locust infestation Recurrent droughts and locust infestation have had negative impacts on the livelihoods of vulnerable communities leading to severe humanitarian situations in many parts across Somalia. One of the major effects of drought is displacement, people are forced to move from drought-affected areas in the rural villages to urban and semi-urban areas to seek humanitarian assistance and better livelihood opportunities. Ayan Mohamed Said is a 37-years-old mother of three children, two boys and one girl. She is currently one of the internally displaced persons living in Lebigun village in Burao district, Togdher region. Before the drought, life was good for Ayan and her family. She had a large number of livestock (camel, goats and sheep), but sadly everything changed when the drought hit their areas and destroyed all their livelihood sources. They lost all their livestock due to lack of water and pasture. Ayan and her three children walked long distances to reach Lebigun village in search of food and shelter. “We were pastoralists, our livelihoods were mainly livestock. The drought has decimated my family’s livestock holdings and put my family at risk of severe hunger. I was not able to feed my children. I remember several nights when my children went to bed without eating,” she said. Ayan continued “Our situation was getting worse and worse. We became hopeless, and as a mother, I couldn’t watch my children starving day in day out. I decided to move to the urban areas in search of food. We finally reached here (Lebigun village in Togdher region), where we could barely scrape a living through the small assistance received from our relatives.” Multi-purpose cash assistance. Ayan is one of the beneficiaries of NRC’s life-saving assistance project in Togdher Region which is generously funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). She was amongst 500 drought-affected families who received monthly cash assistance of $85 for a period of four months. This assistance significantly improved the living conditions of Ayan’s family. She used to receive the cash through her mobile phone each month from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Thanks to the German government, who provided an unprecedented amount of humanitarian assistance in Somalia. “The cash assistance allowed me to sustain my family’s basic needs. I was able to buy food, medicine, household items, and a goat to milk for my children. The cash also enabled me to pay off debts that I had incurred from food costs at the onset of the severe drought,” explains Ayan. She also, said “If you have cash, you can buy whatever you want. You can buy 3-4 items at the same time. The cash allowed me to buy what I needed most. For me, one of my key priorities is to buy milk for my children. Our situation is now getting much better. We have food in our house. My children used to sleep on the ground, but now they are sleeping on a mattress. Thanks to NRC and the German government for this life-changing support.” Drought-affected families like Ayan, who lost all their livestock during the drought, will take quite some time to recover and get back on their feet again, but the cash assistance was a lifeline for them that has addressed their basic needs with dignity and flexibility. The cash has also added value to local trade in areas where markets were functioning, even during the drought. Text: Abdulkadir/NRC Photo: Abdulkadir/NRC
Ayan reads a text message confirming the receipt of the cash assistance. Photo: Abdulkadir/NRC

Ayan received the cash through her mobile phone each month. It significantly improved the living conditions for her and her family.

The cash allowed me to buy what I needed most
Ayan Mohamed Said

“The cash assistance allowed me to sustain my family’s basic needs,” she explains. “I was able to buy food, medicine, household items, and a goat to milk for my children. The cash also enabled me to pay off my debts.”

She continues: “If you have cash, you can buy whatever you want. The cash allowed me to buy what I needed most. Our situation is now getting much better. We have food in our house. My children used to sleep on the ground, but now they are sleeping on a mattress.”

Effects of combined crises - droughts and locust infestation Recurrent droughts and locust infestation have had negative impacts on the livelihoods of vulnerable communities leading to severe humanitarian situations in many parts across Somalia. One of the major effects of drought is displacement, people are forced to move from drought-affected areas in the rural villages to urban and semi-urban areas to seek humanitarian assistance and better livelihood opportunities. Ayan Mohamed Said is a 37-years-old mother of three children, two boys and one girl. She is currently one of the internally displaced persons living in Lebigun village in Burao district, Togdher region. Before the drought, life was good for Ayan and her family. She had a large number of livestock (camel, goats and sheep), but sadly everything changed when the drought hit their areas and destroyed all their livelihood sources. They lost all their livestock due to lack of water and pasture. Ayan and her three children walked long distances to reach Lebigun village in search of food and shelter. “We were pastoralists, our livelihoods were mainly livestock. The drought has decimated my family’s livestock holdings and put my family at risk of severe hunger. I was not able to feed my children. I remember several nights when my children went to bed without eating,” she said. Ayan continued “Our situation was getting worse and worse. We became hopeless, and as a mother, I couldn’t watch my children starving day in day out. I decided to move to the urban areas in search of food. We finally reached here (Lebigun village in Togdher region), where we could barely scrape a living through the small assistance received from our relatives.” Multi-purpose cash assistance. Ayan is one of the beneficiaries of NRC’s life-saving assistance project in Togdher Region which is generously funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). She was amongst 500 drought-affected families who received monthly cash assistance of $85 for a period of four months. This assistance significantly improved the living conditions of Ayan’s family. She used to receive the cash through her mobile phone each month from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Thanks to the German government, who provided an unprecedented amount of humanitarian assistance in Somalia. “The cash assistance allowed me to sustain my family’s basic needs. I was able to buy food, medicine, household items, and a goat to milk for my children. The cash also enabled me to pay off debts that I had incurred from food costs at the onset of the severe drought,” explains Ayan. She also, said “If you have cash, you can buy whatever you want. You can buy 3-4 items at the same time. The cash allowed me to buy what I needed most. For me, one of my key priorities is to buy milk for my children. Our situation is now getting much better. We have food in our house. My children used to sleep on the ground, but now they are sleeping on a mattress. Thanks to NRC and the German government for this life-changing support.” Drought-affected families like Ayan, who lost all their livestock during the drought, will take quite some time to recover and get back on their feet again, but the cash assistance was a lifeline for them that has addressed their basic needs with dignity and flexibility. The cash has also added value to local trade in areas where markets were functioning, even during the drought. Text: Abdulkadir/NRC Photo: Abdulkadir/NRC
Ayan purchases food at a local shop with the cash she has received from NRC. Photo: Abdulkadir/NRC.

Drought-affected families like Ayan’s, who lost all their livestock during the drought, will take some time to recover and get back on their feet again. The cash assistance was a lifeline that enabled them to meet their basic needs with dignity and flexibility. The cash has also added value to local trade in areas where markets are functioning, even during the drought.

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