Hundreds of displaced families relocated to Digale camp on the outskirts of Hargeisa are asking local authorities and aid agencies to establish education centres in the camp.
Sahra Abdi, a displaced mother with several children was relocated to Digale from Mohamed Moge camp in Hargeisa town. She said her children used to study at schools in the town, but have not been able to continue their classes in Digale camp.
“I have left some of my children back in town to keep their studies going because we can get no schools around here,” Abdi told Radio Ergo’s local reporter. She added that the displaced families were expecting to receive all services including education that will improve their living conditions. They are currently provided with health services and water, our reporter said.
The relocation process of IDPs from Mohamed Moge was launched two months ago by the UN OCHA Office for Somalia. The Somaliland administration provided the land on which more than 700 families were built houses by the UN and several other agencies.
Each of the displaced families was given a single room in Digale camp. A mother of nine children, who identified herself only as Asha, said the house can’t accommodate all her family members. “We are crammed into a single room which gives problems. It can’t fit nine children, with their two children,” she said.
Asha added that she is grateful for getting a house that is at least better than their previous one, but requests for help in extending the shelter so it can accommodate the whole family. “We need at least three rooms,” she said.
An official from Somaliland’s Ministry for Resettlement, Omar Mohamed, said they are considering the IDPs’ concerns. But the resettlement process, he said, is still going on. “When we are done with the resettlement process, we are going to address the displaced families’ concerns,” Mohamed told Radio Ergo
