(ERGO) – In a newly built neighbourhood of Har-Wanag in the eastern part of Adado district in central Somalia’s Galgadud region, over 200 people from displaced and poor families have found new hope through employment.
These construction workers were dependent on scarce aid and charity. The new job opportunities have allowed them to meet their families’ basic needs and seek to build a more stable future.
This construction project is a joint initiative led by three aid agencies – the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Norwegian Refugee Council, and Direct Aid, with the Galmudug administration. It will provide 117 houses intended for 117 families newly displaced to the area, whose needs and vulnerability will be assessed.
Most of the houses are complete and work is currently going on to establish a water well. The jobs created by the project have significantly improved the lives of those who have long endured the harsh realities of displacement and unemployment.
Mohamed Hassan Farah, 29, earns $25 a day from his work, which he says is enough to buy food for three meals. He notes that this is his first job since arriving in Harardhere IDP camp in Adado eight months ago.
“The biggest change is the food—I didn’t have enough before, and sometimes we even went hungry and were facing hardships. If I compare our situation now and previously, we are doing far better because we have been able to get regular meals, milk and vegetables,” he said.
Mohamed had been struggling to support his family since moving to the camp, relying on the occasional support of relatives living nearby until he started this job in July.
He now lays bricks and cement in construction sites, a skill he picked up when he arrived in Adado in 2019. This skill secured him employment, although he is concerned about the high temperatures reaching up to 34 degrees Celsius that sometimes affect his productivity.
Each day, he travels three kilometres out to the construction site in Har-wanag in a vehicle organised for workers, costing less than a dollar for the round trip.
Mohamed has managed to save $15 a day, accumulating $900 since starting this work. His goal is to save up to $1,000 in the coming month to open a small business for his wife, strengthening their family’s economic foundation. Two of their children currently attend a Koranic school, costing the family $16 monthly.
Originally from Aad, in southern Mudug, Mohamed’s family was forced to flee in February following violent clashes between government forces and Al-Shabaab. They relied on farming and livestock, with a one-hectare farm and 30 goats, that they had to abandon due to insecurity.
Another displaced worker, Jamal Fahin Hussein, has also seen significant improvements in his family’s circumstances since starting work in July. Previously, his family relied on support from local relatives and could only afford one meal a day. His current income of $10 a day has improved their situation.
Jamal’s family of nine members struggled significantly after fleeing the conflict in Amara, where he previously earned $12 daily running a small shop. He hopes to return to Amara on day but acknowledges the financial challenges of starting over.
For now, he is grateful for the work at Har-wanag and has managed to save $120 over two months to help sustain his family in case of job interruptions.
Three of his children attend Sultan Ahmed-Nur School, a free public school, where two of them are in sixth grade, and one is in fourth grade.
This construction project, initiated on 3 July on the outskirts of Adado, provides a lifeline for many families facing poverty in the displacement camps.
The local representative for displaced persons in the district, Shafi Elmi Hassan, explained that life in the camps was extremely challenging, with few sources of income for families. There are 9,000 displaced families living in 11 camps across Adado.
“Adado is quite small, and the opportunities available to people are limited. However, the local government is committed to ensuring that people have access to opportunities that can help them improve their livelihoods. This includes facilitating communication between humanitarian organisations and the government to address the needs of the population, providing skills training, and creating business opportunities,” he told Radio Ergo.
