(ERGO) – Isho Adan Ali and her husband and eight children have been short of food and water since they arrived in Rama-Adey camp in Baidoa on 19 April, after fleeing clan conflict in Burhakaba in Bay region.
They share meals with fellow IDP families in the camp and when the others have nothing to offer them, Isho goes to restaurants in Baidoa town to ask for leftover food.
“Today we have been faced with a situation where we get one meal a day. We have been affected by clan conflict. Before we were displaced we would get breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she said.
They sleep on cartons under tree shades, which is inadequate shelter against the sun and when it rains.
She said she had never been displaced before and they resorted to the camp when they realised they couldn’t afford to rent a house in Baidoa.
Isho used to offer cleaning services in Burhakaba for a living, earning $4-6. Her husband is elderly and she has been the only breadwinner for her family. Whenever she had no work, she had to buy food on credit from local shops in Burhakaba.
“I have taken up loans but we were forced to flee when the conflict erupted. I have taken up to $580 worth of goods. The shop owners called me a few nights ago, but I told them we are faced with hardships. We are planning to pay up when our situation returns to normal,” she said.
Isho said they were caught up in violent clashes at night that forced them to flee from their two room house and most of their belongings. With no money to pay for transport, she and her family trekked for three days to Baidoa.
She said there was no one to welcome them to the city but they had hoped to get help from relief organisations. They have not had anything in the camp so far.
Dahiro Hassan Ali and her seven children also fled the conflict in Burhakaba to Rama-Adey camp and face similar hardships. Dahiro carries 10 litres of water on her back from a borehole two kilometres away from the camp.
A jerrycan of water sells for 2,000 Somali shillings although she can’t keep buying it at that price for long. Now she is spending the $20 she got from the camp leader after they learned about her situation.
“We only get one jerry can because we only cook once a day and the children use the rest of the water,” she said.
Dahiro and her husband divorced six months ago and she gets no support from him for the children. She is worried they might get malnourished since they don’t get enough food.
She used to collect and sell firewood in Burhakaba, earning $3-4 a day. However, she does not get any income since joining the camp.
She said she left behind 12 kilograms each of rice, flour and sugar that she had bought 10 days before the clashes. All she could do was to gather her children and swiftly flee their house in panic.
“The conflict has really had adverse effects on us. We walked for two days to get to the camp. The people have been helping us and we pray for those who helped us since we were displaced,” she said.
Three of her children were in Koranic school back home where she paid $3 for their fees. They are out of school now.
Rama-Aday camp leader, Abdikadir Abdinoor, told Radio Ergo that about 100 families had joined his camp after fleeing the conflict in Burhakaba and more were arriving daily. He said about 250 families in total had so far arrived in different camps within Baidoa.
He said the people were vulnerable as some of them had walked for 60 kilometers to join the camp.
“We have strived to help the people although we cannot cover the needs of everyone. We are appealing to the aid organisations to help these people who are scattered in and around the city. They need urgent assistance,” he said.
