(ERGO) – More than 100 drought-hit pastoralists and farmers have lifted their families out of extreme hardship after securing employment at a rice and cooking oil processing company in Bardera, southern Somalia’s Gedo region.
Dalag-Bile, a local company that produces rice and sunflower oil for local markets, hired the men displaced from rural areas last November.
One of the employees, Marshaale Mohamed Ali, said the $80 monthly salary he now earns had helped his family of eight to meet basic food needs in Iftin IDP camp, where they had sought refuge after drought destroyed their three-hectare rain-fed farm in Doy village.
“Now my family cooks two proper meals a day. Before, sometimes we ate once, sometimes not at all. Glory to God, our life has changed. I am now someone with an income and able to plan month by month.”
Within a few months of steady employment, Marshaale was able to replace the shelter of sticks and cloth they had been living in with a small iron-sheet room. In January, he returned three of his children to Koranic school after they had dropped out of classes in August, when the family was displaced.
He pays $6 per month for their combined fees and hopes to enroll them in formal primary school for the first time later this year.
“I grew up as a pastoralist and never had the chance to go to school,” he said. “I want my children to receive full education so they can have a better future.”
Marshaale plans to begin repaying a $165 debt he accumulated for food and water during the hardest months.
“I wanted work very much and searched for it, but I couldn’t find any. The few jobs available were given to people with connections. Farming is what I know best, but most farms have dried up. Now God has made this possible for me,” he said.
At Dalag-Bile, Marshaale is responsible for cultivating, irrigating, and guarding fields where rice and sunflower crops are grown. He secured the position after competing with dozens of other applicants for a single job, due to his farming skills and the difficult circumstances facing his family.
He had lost $300 invested in vegetable crops planted in April, which failed due to water shortages. At the same time, 50 goats died from lack of pasture and unfamiliar diseases. The combined losses forced the family to abandon their rural home.
Another employee, Mohamed Abdi Hasan, said his $100 monthly salary over the past three months had fully covered the needs of his family of four.
“Our life is good now. My family cooks three meals a day. Before, it was very difficult. Sometimes we cooked once or twice. Sometimes we had nothing but we have now seen real change,” he said.
He buys 20 litres of water daily for 30 cents and has cleared $5 in water debts accumulated before he found work.
In December, he was able to rent a small iron-sheet room with a kitchen and toilet for $10 per month. He has repaid $110 of a $220 debt owed to food shops in Helo-ari, the rural area where he previously lived.
“The constant pressure from creditors has eased. This opportunity is something we had never seen before. There is a big difference between our life now and before.”
Mohamed’s family lost 40 goats to drought and disease last year, wiping out the only livelihood they had known.
The deputy manager of Dalag-Bile, Yusuf Adan Abdulle, said the company was founded in 2022 not only as a business venture but also to contribute to job creation and national food security.
“Our aim is to reduce unemployment and to become part of the country’s food production,” he said.
He said employees were selected based on their ability to perform the work, honesty, and willingness to commit.
“There were no other conditions, such as where a person comes from. If they met those requirements, we welcomed them,” he added.
Yusuf noted that the company is working to reduce Somalia’s reliance on imported food products by supplying locally produced staples at more affordable prices.
