(ERGO) – Pastoralist parents in central Somalia’s Hiran region are being forced to pull their children out of school in order to save their livestock from the drought.
Abdulkadir Ali Idow, a father of eight in Mataban, said he had little choice but to sacrifice his children’s education temporarily to safeguard the family’s livelihood and future.
He fled with his family from Jiracle village in Mataban to Garasta village in Mahas seeking water and fodder for his animals. Three of his children, who were studying at Osman Maalin primary school in Jiracle, are now out of the classroom.
“The livestock were our only source of income,” explained Abdulkadir. “The money I use to pay the school fees and the bills came from the livestock. As the situation deteriorated and the area did not receive any rain, we were forced to move with the children to save the livestock.”
There is no well in Jiracle and the family was buying water from delivery trucks selling a 200 litre-barrel for four dollars. Abdulkadir could not afford this and moved with their 200 goats and 59 camels to Garasta.
“I feel education is important as it is a light for humanity,” said Abdulkadir, adding that his livestock are his only assets. “My plan is to enroll the children back in school as soon as we receive rain and life returns to normal.”
However, his five older children have remained in high school and university in Beledweyne. He hopes he can continue to afford the fees as long as his herd survives the drought.
The headteacher of Osman Maalin primary school in Jiracle, Khalif Hassan Ahmed, told Radio Ergo that 70 of the school’s 320 pupils have dropped out because of the drought. He worries that more will leave if the drought persists. Some teachers have also left the school and fled with their livestock in search of water and pasture to areas that received rainfall.
Mohamed Osman, a father of seven, packed up his family and belongings to move with their livestock from Beergadiid village in Mataban district near the end of October. Five of his children at Beergadiid primary school are now looking after the family’s remaining 138 goats and 38 camels in Teedan village in Mahas.
“As a parent, I am very worried because you can understand I had to flee our village with my children who were in school and follow the rains because of the drought. This place itself hasn’t received much rain and the temperature is still hot. It wasn’t possible to let our children stay back in the village to continue with their studies while we left,” he said.
Mohamed’s children are also helping fetch water for the family, as the area is 21 km away from the nearest well.
The family spent five days walking the 109 km from Beergadiid. The livestock are now recovering after finding pasture and water in Teedan.
Mohamed said he made the decision to leave Beergadiid after the animals started dying and he lost 12 goats, five of which were nursing goats, to the drought. He is doing everything he can to keep the rest alive.
“Five of the goats that died were nursing their young kids. Up to now, I am taking care of the kids, sometimes I let them suckle milk from lactating goats around. When I take them to the grazing field, I cut small plants to feed them,” he said.
Mohamed’s family is cooking two meals a day using food he bought on credit from a shop in Beergadiid, hoping to pay back the bills if the livestock can recover their health and value.
