(ERGO) – Abdisalam Ahmed Jama, a livestock herder in the rural Ballidhig area of northern Somalia’s Togdher region, has taken on himself the job of sharing with others the advice he hears on the radio about the risks of Coronavirus and how to curb its spread.
“When I realized that no one was coming to the rural areas to inform us, I chose to become a volunteer and started telling people about this disease that is spreading in our country and elsewhere in the world,” he said.
Abdisalam told Radio Ergo that he has a shortwave radio and regularly follows the broadcasts by Radio Ergo including the reports and information about COVID19. He then goes out and shares with others in the community, especially with the women and youth, who may not have listened to the radio.
“I tell the youth in the rural area to avoid going to the town, but if they must go they should take precautions and avoid crowded places,” he said.
Abdisalam first got in touch with Radio Ergo on the toll-free feedback platform last month, saying how much the information was appreciated in his remote area. They are not reached by any FM radios and rely on Radio Ergo as well as international news and current affairs from the BBC Somali service, he said.
Sirad Awil, a grandmother who is responsible for a family of more than 12 people, told Radio Ergo she knows about the Coronavirus thanks to Abdisalam’s outreach efforts.
“The man has informed us well. He tells us to keep a social distance, to quarantine those with symptoms, and to limit our travel to the town. He teaches us the many ways we can protect ourselves,” Sirad said.
She added that as a result of his awareness-raising efforts, rural women have limited their close interactions and each household now keeps a stock of soap and water for handwashing. Those who run out of soap, she said, use ash to clean their hands.
Ismail Ahmed, another resident in Ballidhig area, told Radio Ergo that he was so inspired by Abdisalam’s efforts that he and others have joined him in spreading awareness information locally so that everyone is vigilant in protecting themselves from Coronavirus.
“We spread the message around. Everyone who hears it tells others, so that we all know that this is a dangerous disease without a cure”, he said.
One of the main targets for their information, said Ismail, is those who travel back and forth between towns.
Towns depend on rural areas as a source of fresh milk, farm produce and livestock, and rural areas depend on household supplies from the towns. This continuous flow of people and goods means that the virus spreading in the towns will likely reach the rural areas as well, so efforts to curb the disease need to be extended to the countryside.
