CARE’s real-life humanitarian heroes - Abdirahman Katsame

-

 


Abdirahman Katsame – A member of Vector and Pest Control team during an interview on 7/8/2020 conducted by Mohammed Bare (CARE incentive staff in Hagadera Refugee Camp in Daadab).

 

a)      Name, age, job role, location, number of years working as a humanitarian

 

My name is Abdiraham Abshir Katsame. I am 29 years old. For over two years, I have been  a Vector and Pest Control refugee community worker (RCW) with CARE WASH in Hagadera Refugee Camp.

 

b)      What does it mean to be a humanitarian worker to you?

 

It gives me so much happiness to support my community in preventing diseases by disinfecting public institutions and households. At the moment, I am helping in preventing the spread of COVID-19 through regular comprehensive disinfection exercises at Undugu Primary school quarantine centre and Hagadera food distribution centre in Hagadera Camp within Dadaab Refugee Complex.

 

c)       Why did you decide to start helping your community– why did you choose to do it, how did you get into it?

 

I decided to support my community because they are vulnerable and I felt my experience in vector and disease control could be useful to my community. A vacancy arose at CARE Kenya and I was selected after an intense interview.

 

d)      What are some of the biggest challenges and obstacles you have to overcome in your work and the current response? i.e. stigmatization, access difficulties, dangers, lack of support etc.

 

Some ignorant community members abuse/insult us when we go disinfecting their houses and latrines. Others can be condescending towards my job. That notwithstanding, I try not to be distracted and focus on my work.

 

 


Abdirahman mixes Chlorine disinfecting solution at Undugu Primary School Covid-19 quarantine centre in Hagadera Refugee Camp in readiness for spraying.

  

e)      What lessons have you learnt along the way?

 

I have learnt to be tolerant and patient with community members as I do my work. I have also improved my skill-set and experience in vector and disease control.

 

f)        Has this work or this emergency response changed you in any way and if so, how?

 

The Covid-19 pandemic response has changed my working hours and schedule as I have to report the food distribution centre very early in the morning with my colleagues. I also have to fumigate the quarantine centre in Hagadera Refugee Camp each day.

 

g)      How do you balance your home life and work-life? What kind of duties do you still have at home after you clock off from a hard day’s work?

 

After a hard day of work, I try to make it at home in time to help with fetching water and shopping for my family. Moreover, I also find time to help my children with reading and studies.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sudan's Silent Suffering: Urgent Action Required to Remedy Worsening Situation

-
Image
CARE Sudan's Country Director Abdirahman visited a CARE-supported clinic. CARE International in Sudan. Abdirahman Ali, CARE Sudan's Country Director, issued this statement to draw urgent attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sudan. In his recent visit to Kassala, Abdirahman saw the plight of the internally displaced people, after fleeing conflict from Sinnar and Sinjah, with temporary homes and limited basic needs. Abdirahman was uniquely positioned to witness the unfolding humanitarian disaster firsthand while understanding the broader implications and needs.   "Muna, a 43-year-old woman displaced from Sennar, exemplifies the suffering we're witnessing," said Abdirahman Ali CARE Sudan's Country Director. "She along with her husband, who is an amputee, and five children and thousands of others fled the conflict with nothing. They now face unimaginable conditions – lack of food, clean water, and sanitation – in makeshift camps in overcrowded sc
Read more

Khadija: A Beacon of Hope for Girls' Education in Somalia

-
Image
CARE supports girls in Somalia to access education and to stay in school. At just 16, Khadija* has achieved something remarkable: she became the top student in Jubaland state, Somalia, in the national Grade 8 exams. Her success is a personal victory and a powerful testament to the transformative impact of the Girls' Education and Empowerment Program (GEEPS) in Somalia. One that may not have been reali z ed due to circumstances beyond her control.     Khadija , born into a big family in Kismayo, knows firsthand the struggles girls face in Somalia. Education is a distant dream for many girls, held back by poverty, droughts, early marriage, the constant threat of conflict, dwindling resources that forced parents to prioritize boys' education, and harmful traditions that kept them from reaching their potential. Khadija 's goal of becoming a teacher seemed almost unattainable , overshadowed by her community's harsh realities of life.     "I used to watch other girls
Read more

DRC: Local Women group's advocacy influencing the health center to be built

-
Image
By Alice Bikuba, CARE DRC Reporting and Communication Officer. Fabiola Kambere in her field at Sake/CARE International in DRC. “I am more than a rural woman because through the Village Savings  Loan Association Network I take part in advocating for my community and results are visible.” - Fabiola, Faida Yetu VSLAN   Fabiola is a member of the Faida Yetu Network of Village Savings and Credit Associations (VSLAN) set up by CARE's Gender Equality Women Empowerment Program (GEWEP) in 2019. The Faida Yetu RAVEC, of which Fabiola is a member, is made up of women who advocate for the implementation of the joint plan to improve the health center (CS) in Kaduki (Sake). This advocacy led to the mobilization  of funds to purchase a plot and i nfluence the direction of funding from the health structure development program (PDSS) to the construction of a maternity building, a placenta pit, and a latrine at CS Kaduki.   These advocacy actions are carried out in the context of supporting the impl
Read more