(ERGO) – Mohamed Mahmoud Hussein is deeply concerned about five of his children who were expelled from grades their school in Dusamareb, central Somalia, at the end of last year because he couldn’t pay their fees.
He has a backlog of $150 in unpaid fees at Waabari School, where one of his daughters was supposed to sit for her high school exams this year.
“The teacher collects money at the end of each month, and if it is not paid, the child is chased away from class,” Mohamed said. “There was a time when my child asked me for money to buy a pen, and I could not afford it.”
As a metal worker making household goods such as pots, pans, and knives, he hasn’t had many sales since last November when the markets became flooded by cheaper imported items from abroad.
For the past 15 years, he earned a living from metalworking and polishing, and supported his family of 10. He has been unemployed since November when the market collapsed. Now, he occasionally earns half a dollar for sharpening items.
“When I return home empty-handed, I enter a state of thought and desolation. I eat the pancakes my wife baked in the morning, which we have with nothing else, and put the children to bed with what’s left of those pancakes or tea. This shows how dire our situation is,” he said.
He used to depend on earnings of between $100 to $160. But now he is already $2,500 in debt for food, water, electricity, as well as the school fees.
He has 400 utensils he made by hand waiting for buyer, who mostly seem to prefer factory-made products these days.
“My previous life was good, but now it is a very poor life, the lowest level of human existence. Our handmade products cannot compete with factory-made goods, and our business has collapsed,” Mohamed said, speaking for many others in his trade.
Many are being hit by the economic downturn in central Somalia, where drought and the migration of pastoralists has affected trade and business.
Abdiweli Mohamed Farah closed his small shop last November. His family of 14 now faces severe hardship, as he relies on odd manual labour jobs for income. When work is scarce, he takes food on credit from shops to feed his family.
“When you don’t have work everything changes and you can’t get what you need, your daily life becomes uncertain, children’s education stops, and you take on debts you didn’t have before,” he told Radio Ergo.
Since 2010 he had been earning at least $10 a day, which was sufficient for his family’s needs. Now, he struggles to support his family and has no strategy in place.
Nur Ahmed Diiriye, who used to sell goods in Mudug and Galgadud, is also affected. His family of six now relies on borrowed food items from local shops. Three of his children, who were in primary school, have now dropped out of education.
“I feel burdened. I couldn’t afford my children’s education. Circumstances have made me feel powerless. My kids don’t learn the Koran because I can’t pay for classes. It’s painful, but I ask God for help,” Nur said.
At the age of 40, he has no skills to find another job and also suffers from kidney disease. The family is faced with the threat of eviction as he hasn’t paid the rent.
