Telling the ECSA Story

 Indicators point to the erosion of gains made for girls' and women's rights in Somalia as the drought worsens. Girls are being forced to drop out of school putting them at risk of harmful traditional practices such as early marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Women-run businesses have been hit especially hard with 98% of them having lost revenue and income due to the high cost of goods, and 51% have been forced to close. Photo by Saddam Mohamed/CARE As the primary caregivers in the home, women have the responsibility of taking care of children and this can be extremely difficult when their source of income is disrupted. In Dhobley, Somalia, 42-year-old Faduma arrives at an IDP camp with 100 frail goats from her home in Wajir, Kenya. These are all that remain of her herd which comprised of 300 goats that provided her with milk and meat. She has traveled over 200 kilometers with her four children in order to try and sell the remaining goats. “ Unfortunately, most of ou...

  Amina in the IDP camp in Lower Juba. CARE/Saddam Mohammed Under the blistering heat, and being heavy with child, 28-year-old Amina walked over 100 kilometers for 11 days with her children as life at home had become unbearable. This was as a result of losing all their 50 cows and 30 goats, their family’s sole source of livelihood, due to the ongoing drought in Somalia. Amina found refuge at an Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camp in Lower Juba and has since then not been able to communicate with her husband who she left behind. “Sometimes my children go to bed hungry as I have nothing to give them and because their father is not here to help as I am pregnant. We have lost everything to this drought. Life used to be easy for us when we had our livestock. We could sell some to buy what we need. We ran out of water and pasture, and it was sad seeing all our livestock dying right in front of our eyes. Now we don’t even know what our next meal is going to be and when we will have ...

  Khadija Ahmed at the water point at Ashabito, in Mandera. Prior to the drilling of the borehole and operationalization of the pump, the community would have to access water from a waterpan that was also used by cattle and other animals. this exposed them to waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera. (CARE/ David Mutua) Mandera County is one of the most water insecure counties in Kenya as indicated in the County Government’s 2021 fiscal strategy paper. Perennial droughts and the hot climatic conditions in the county have worsened the situation. In a survey conducted by Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance (RACIDA) in February 2021, only 49.3% of all households surveyed reported accessing water from safe improved, or semi-improved water points. In Ashabito location, which has been one of the area's hardest hit, Senior Chief Jele Ali explains, “From the colonial days this area has always been quite dry. We used to have two dams which have since dried.” Located in...