Hafsa, 28, received the loan from a local organisation and restocked her shop in Hagadera camp with popular food items. Having floundered for a year due to lack of capital, the shop is now thriving.

“The money helped me a lot. When I received the 100,000 shillings it transformed my business. I now sell rice, flour, sugar, oil, pasta, groundnuts and many other items. The income supports me and my children. I thank God for that,” she told Radio Ergo.

Hafsa earns a steady profit that covers her household expenses and enables her to repay the loan instalments. She has repaid half already and is confident of clearing the rest soon. She reinvests part of her earnings back into the business and uses the rest for food, school expenses, and other household needs. Before expanding her shop, life was difficult.

“Sometimes we ate and sometimes we did not. But now things are completely different. I can provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family – we have food every day,” she said.

It’s not the first loan she has had, as she opened her ship in March 2024 after borrowing just 10,000 Kenya shillings from the same organisation. Although the capital was limited, she says it gave her valuable experience.

Her father brought the family to Dadaab after fleeing insecurity in Jilib, southern Somalia’s Middle Juba region, in 2006. For years they relied heavily on food assistance, but Hafsa says her business now provides a level of financial independence.

Another refugee mother, Maano Mohamud Gagaal, used a loan of 130,000 shillings to purchase solar equipment and refrigerators for her shop in Hagadera camp. Now she sells ice cream, ice blocks, and cold drinking water that are all in high demand in the camp.

Maano’s business generates around 1,000 Kenya shillings in profit each day. “The loan solved many problems for me. It allowed me to work and provide for my family of five. Today I earn enough from selling ice cream and ice. I repay the loan and still support my household,” she said.

Boosting her business with the loan has enabled her to provide food, clothing, healthcare, and other necessities for her children without depending on relatives or humanitarian assistance. “I am the only one supporting my children. Their food, clothing and healthcare depend on me. Now I can provide what they need through this business,” she said.

Maano’s family fled Mogadishu in 2008 because of insecurity and sought refuge in Dadaab, where they have lived ever since.

Inkomoko loans have become more significant as humanitarian assistance continues to decline. Business development adviser, Adan Mohamed Haji, said thousands of refugee households had benefited from the initiative.

Applicants must already operate a business or present a viable business idea. They are also required to attend at least two business development training sessions provided by the organisation and to contribute a modest profit-sharing fee as part of the programme.

“The aim is to help people become self-reliant. Many families previously depended entirely on humanitarian aid, but as assistance decreases, supporting businesses offers a pathway towards sustainable livelihoods,” Adan said.

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Since April, however, traders – beginning in Mogadishu – have started refusing to accept the battered, oily Somali shilling notes. Other businessmen have followed suit, leaving small traders bankrupted overnight.

Abdiqadir’s shop has completely shut down after suppliers refused to accept the 500 million Somali shillings he had saved up to buy new stock.

The business was the sole source of income for his family of 13. “We can no longer provide for our family,” he said, in shock. “Before the Somali shilling disappeared from the market, our business earned enough income and we never worried about food. Every month I could provide what my family needed.”

Abdiqadir was making between 264,000 and 330,000 Somali shillings a day, enough to cover household expenses and save some money – but the cash savings he accumulated over four months are now worthless.

He and his family were displaced from rural areas near Baidoa in 2023 after repeated drought forced them to abandon their three-hectare farm. He started the business two years ago with a $500 grant from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Before receiving that support, he survived doing casual labour jobs, borrowing, and even begging.

The closure of his shop has affected every aspect of his family life. He has been unable to pay the $20 monthly rent for the iron-sheet house where his family lives, including water and electricity costs. He has been told to vacate the property if he cannot settle the arrears.

Small shops inside displacement camps in Baidoa like Abdiqadir’s are a lifeline for poor local people, as well as providing a livelihood for many such small traders.

Families bought food and household essentials using Somali shillings, the only currency many displaced people can access. They can’t exchange the crumbling shilling notes for US dollars to use on the now ubiquitous mobile money systems.

Six of Abdiqadir’s children dropped out of primary school after he failed to pay $60 in fees in April. Although he has money in Somali shillings, schools no longer accept it.

“I have money, but I can’t buy anything with it. Everywhere I go people tell me they cannot sell to me. The move away from the Somali shilling has affected us deeply. Our businesses have collapsed,” he said.

The family has debts of around $1,000 owed to wholesalers who supplied his shop. He was going to repay them using his cash savings.

The rejection of the Somali shilling began in the capital Mogadishu, where traders stopped accepting worn and damaged notes, citing lack of confidence in the notes and the absence of currency

replacement by the authorities. New official shilling notes have not been printed and circulated since 1991, before the civil war. The practice of rejecting the notes has now spread to many regions, affecting the poorest and most vulnerable.

Abdirashid Adow Abdi’s shop selling fresh produce also closed after suppliers stopped accepting Somali shillings. The displaced father of six lost a daily income of between 297,000 and 396,000 Somali shillings that had enabled him to pay for food, water, education, and healthcare.

“Our lives have declined sharply. Before this happened, we were managing well. Now the money we have cannot buy anything, while the cost of living keeps increasing. We have money in our hands, but it is useless,” he said.

Abdirashid is surviving on occasional credit from local shops. He holds 70 million Somali shillings that he saved over several months to expand his business, but he cannot convert it into dollars or use it to buy stock.

His family fled Goof-Gaduud Buurey village near Baidoa in 2022 after water shortages destroyed the four-hectare farm that had supported them for years. He launched the business in the IDP camps two years ago using $840, including personal savings and assistance from international NGO, World Vision.

Three of his children dropped out of school in May after he failed to pay two months of fees totaling $60. He also owes 45 million Somali shillings to creditors who continue demanding repayment even though he has no alternative source of income.

Like many camp traders, his customers were displaced families who relied on cash transactions in Somali shillings. Everyone has been left stranded as the shillings are refused as legal tender.

Mahmud Mohamed Nur, an economics lecturer at Zamzam University in Baidoa, said the decline of the Somali shilling was linked to the absence of a functioning currency replacement system and the growing use of digital mobile money that excluded the poor.

He suggested that emergency loans for affected traders and focusing on better adaptation to digital payment systems could help reduce the impact of future currency disruptions.

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Ahmed joined the farm in February on a monthly salary of $100, allowing him to support his wife and three children after years of volatility.

“Covering our basic needs used to be very difficult. Sometimes we had food and sometimes we didn’t. There were days when we missed meals altogether. Getting this job brought us great happiness. There is a big difference between having work and having nothing,” Ahmed told Radio Ergo.

Drought and disease wiped out nearly 300 of Ahmed’s animals, including sheep and camels, over the past two years. This left the family without an income source and dependent on assistance from others. This job has restored some hope.

“Everything I earn goes towards buying food for my family, and it is enough for us. My family depends on me, and this work has helped us move beyond the difficult situation we were facing,” he said.

Additionally, Ahmed has been learning modern livestock management techniques that differ significantly from the traditional practices he inherited from his parents. He believes that if he is able to rebuild his own herd in future, the knowledge gained on this farm will help him raise healthier and more productive animals.

The livestock project was established by Faiza Farah Rage, whose aim is to create employment and also demonstrate modern methods of livestock production and fattening. The farm focuses on raising, fattening, and selling livestock while training workers and local pastoralists in improved animal husbandry practices.

“This project was designed to promote livestock trade and demonstrate modern livestock production methods. We fatten animals, raise them properly, and then sell them. We recruit workers based on their experience and knowledge of livestock care and management,” Faiza told Radio Ergo.

Her project has encouraged many local livestock owners to adopt new approaches to feeding and rearing their animals, helping them improve productivity despite harsh environmental conditions.

When she began, many people dismissed her ideas as impractical. However, training and awareness sessions alongside the evident results have gradually changed attitudes within the community.

“People have learned that they do not always have to move constantly with their animals. They can stay in one place and manage livestock more efficiently. We have shown that animals can remain productive with proper feeding and care, and that livestock farming can generate income even in challenging environments,” she said.

Faiza hopes to expand the initiative so that more drought-affected families can benefit from employment and training opportunities.

Among those who have found work at the farm is Amina Warsame Ali, who supports a family of 11. Employed since January, the job has given her financial independence. She is responsible for a range of tasks including preparing food for workers, milking sheep, cleaning livestock shelters, clearing the bushes, and ensuring animals have adequate feed and water.

“This work suits me because I already understood livestock management. Drought destroyed our animals and left us with almost nothing. Before this job, I relied on occasional support from relatives, but it was never enough for our large family,” she said.

The steady income has enabled Amina to provide food, water, and basic care for her children without constantly worrying about where the next meal will come from. She hopes she will eventually be able to send some of her children to school in a nearby town, as there are no schools in her village.

Livestock experts say improved animal husbandry practices such as those promoted at the Abdaal farm could play an important role in strengthening livelihoods across Somalia and Somaliland, where millions of people depend on livestock. Better feeding systems, animal health management, and commercial livestock production can increase productivity, improve market value, and help pastoralist families become more resilient to recurring droughts.

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Now she’s collecting discarded metal from neighbourhoods across the town, earning $4 to $6 a day selling the scrap to local companies. It might not seem the best of jobs, but it enables her to feel dignified by supporting her children with their basic needs.

“Now I am a woman who earns money to buy rice for my children. I used to beg people for help, knocking on doors and hoping someone would give me something. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn’t. Now I can manage my life. I buy what I need from the shops and my children are living better,” Aqbal told Radio Ergo.

The work is physically demanding, walking from morning until late afternoon through residential areas carrying heavy sacks of metal collected from households, rubbish sites, and open spaces. But she is thankful that her children no longer go to bed hungry. Four of them have recently enrolled in primary and Koranic schools, with Aqbal paying around $25 a month in fees.

“One of my biggest dreams was to see my children in school,” she said. “This month I finally enrolled them. Previously, none of them could study because I had no income and we were struggling. Now I feel happy because they are learning and I can support them,” she said.

Aqbal and her family fled conflict in Ethiopia’s Somali Region and settled in Oog displacement camp in Dhusamareb in September 2025. This is the first reliable source of income she has found since arriving.

She can pay for water and save money for emergencies and has already put aside $70 for when times might get tough again.

Around seven companies operating in Dhusamareb buy scrap metal from collectors for 15 to 20 cents per kilogram. The metal is transported to Mogadishu and Ethiopia for recycling and reuse in manufacturing.

Another scrap collector, Tima’ade Abdi Kabooy, has been earning enough to support his wife and 13 children since February.

“When a child needs something, I now have a way to provide it. PI had been at home without any work. Now I leave every day knowing I have something to do and a way to support my family,” he said.

Tima’ade earns about $160 a month, walking daily from Shabelle displacement camp, about 15 minutes from Dusamareb town, searching for scrap. Sometimes he gets injured by sharp objects and sometimes hostility from people who misunderstand what he is doing.

“You have to search through fences, bushes, and rubbish. There is nothing just lying around waiting to be picked up. My hands are covered in cuts from thorns and sharp metal. Some people insult you or chase you away, while others help by giving you scrap from their homes,” he said.

He sendspart of his income to support three of his children staying with relatives in rural Mudug region. He plans to enroll four more children in school for the first time.

Tima’ade’s family moved to Shabelle camp six months ago after drought wiped out their livestock herd in Mudug.

The manager of Bir-Libah Company, Abdullahi Ahmed Barale, said the firm had opened three collection centres in Dusamareb and Guriel employing around 20 young people. Around 150 people like Tima’ade and Aqbal are involved in collecting the scrap.

“We don’t collect the metal ourselves. We sit here and buy it from people. In that way, we have created employment opportunities. The scrap had no value before and was only causing environmental problems. Now poor families earn money from it while the town becomes cleaner,” he said.

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Since the beginning of the year, he has been unable to cultivate anything and the loss of farming income has left his family facing food shortages and mounting debt.

“Our livelihoods have collapsed, and drought has made things worse. When you lose the vegetables that sustained your family, you feel the impact immediately. We lost our work and the source of our income. Some people have abandoned their farms altogether,” he told Radio Ergo.

In January, Sahal planted vegetables twice on his two-hectare farm, but both attempts failed because he could not secure enough water for irrigation. Water trucks from Bargaal, more than 100 kilometres away, charge around $12 per barrel, which is far beyond his reach. Sahal’s date palms have lost their leaves and fruit and he fears the trees may die if they are not watered soon.

Natural water channels that once supplied farms in the area have been damaged by land erosion. Wide gullies have cut off roads and damage the natural springs and manmade reservoirs.

Sahal owes more than $1,000, including older loans and money borrowed in recent months to feed his family. Creditors demand repayment, but he has no means of settling the debts. Three consecutive poor rainy seasons have also weakened his livestock, damaging another income source.

Sahal cares for his 78-year-old diabetic mother, who requires regular medication and a special diet.

“Medicine is expensive, laboratory tests cost money, and poor people can’t afford them. There are no nearby services. Everything has become difficult. Imagine an elderly person unable to get milk or the food she needs, that is a huge challenge,” he said.

Five of his children dropped out of school in May after he failed to pay three months’ fees of $20 per child. The children were in grades three, five, and seven at the local primary school.

The villagers in Sayn are all affected. Rooble Mohamed Osman, 59, has also been unable to cultivate his one-and-a-half-hectare farm on the outskirts this year because of the water shortages. Several seasons of poor rainfall dried up the streams that supplied irrigation water, while the area’s rugged terrain makes access difficult.

“The biggest challenge we face is water scarcity. We have endured drought for three years and this year has been the worst. Water levels dropped, roads were cut off, canals and reservoirs were damaged, and large rocks collapsed onto farms and we can’t remove them,” he said.

Rooble, who has farmed for more than 30 years, says he has never experienced such severe conditions. His family is living on the 15 kilograms each of flour, rice, sugar, and cooking oil purchased by his brother in Bosaso on 27 May.

“This crisis has affected us deeply. Compared to last year, the difference is huge. The dates and crops that my children used to eat are gone. We are struggling even to provide rice for the children. We have no source of income. Our lives depended on this farm,” he said.

Rooble owes about $1,500, including money invested in crops that failed because of water shortages, food and water purchased during recent months, and older debts. He says creditors continue to pressure him despite his inability to pay.

Two of his children were forced to leave primary school in April after he failed to pay three months of fees totaling $180.

The chairman of the Sayn Farmers’ Cooperative, Abdalle Ahmed Mohamed, said the challenges facing 2,500 local farmers were beyond the community’s ability to address. He said some damaged areas affected by erosion had been repaired, but the scale of destruction was far beyond local resources.

“These farmers need agricultural equipment, pesticides, irrigation systems, pumps, and solar-powered water systems. Many farms have dried up and been abandoned because of water shortages. We tried to help, but we lacked the necessary equipment and resources,” he said.

Abdalle said the cooperative had repeatedly informed Puntland authorities and aid organisations about the situation, but no substantial assistance had arrived. He warned that agricultural production in the area could collapse entirely, leaving farming households destitute.

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Among them is 50-year-old Said Muse Yusuf, who spent most of his life herding livestock before repeated droughts wiped out the animals his family depended on.

Today, he starts each morning at sea with six fellow fishermen, sharing a small rented boat as they search for fish off the coast. The income is modest, but it has helped his family of 10.

“After drought devastated our livestock, we came to the coast looking for another way to survive. We set our nets and work together. In the past, we depended entirely on animals, but now most people who once had herds are left with only a few weak animals. The sea has become our livelihood,” he said.

Said began fishing in January after receiving two months’ training from the local fishermen’s cooperative. He learned how to handle fishing nets, navigate the water safely, and respond to emergencies at sea.

Before joining the fishing community, Said’s family had fallen into severe hardship after arriving in Gunbah earlier this year. They often survived on a single meal a day, relying on food donations from long-term residents of the area.

The daily catch now earns him around $5, which is shared among the crew. Although the income is small, it is enough to provide regular meals and basic necessities for his family.

However, Said is still burdened by debts accumulated over the past three years when drought destroyed the value of his livestock. Traders in Murcanyo who supplied food for his family and animals continue to ask for repayment.

“I am still carrying debt and I don’t know where I will find the money,” he said. “People were asking me about it today. If this work continues to go well, I hope I can repay what I owe. My prayer is that I won’t die leaving debt behind.”

Despite the challenges, Said believes fishing offers greater opportunities than livestock keeping ever did. Having gained confidence and experience at sea, he hopes to increase his earnings if he can access better equipment.

Every morning, groups of newcomers head out to sea in rented boats under arrangements with boat owners and fishing traders. Most work on a profit-sharing basis, receiving a portion of the value of their catch.

Mahamud Ahmed Nasir is another former pastoralist who has found a measure of stability through fishing.

Since March, he has spent his days aboard a small boat owned by a local businessman. The work provides him with around $5 a day, helping him support his family of six.

The father previously owned 50 goats and lived in the rural areas around Gunbah. When drought wiped out his animals, he moved his family closer to the coast in search of alternatives.

“My family now lives near the town,” he said. “We bring home fish for dinner and sell part of the catch to buy food. Compared with our life in the rural areas, we are better off here by the sea.”

Mahamud says fishing has restored hope after years of uncertainty. The opportunity came through a relative already working in the sector who encouraged him to join.

He estimates that his former livestock business generated no more than about $50 a month from occasional animal sales. Fishing now brings him close to $150 a month.

The income has allowed him to repay a $300 food debt accumulated before he entered the sector. He has also begun saving $50 each month toward building a corrugated iron house for his family, who currently live in a cramped shelter vulnerable to rain and strong winds.

“I believe I can achieve that goal before the end of the year if I continue working,” he said.

Yet major challenges remain for the growing number of former pastoralists entering the fishing industry.

Mahamud says many lack essential equipment such as boats, engines, and storage facilities. As a result, they depend heavily on traders and boat owners who control access to fishing opportunities.

Farah Guled, a member of the Gunbah fishing cooperative committee, said experienced fishermen have played a crucial role in helping drought-affected families adapt to their new livelihoods.

The cooperative provides voluntary training on net-making, diving, boat handling, and other essential skills, enabling many newcomers to work independently within a short period.

However, Farah said the lack of investment threatens future growth. He noted that fishing communities urgently need cold storage facilities to preserve catches and reduce losses.

“Humanitarian organisations should help these communities with equipment such as freezers and cold storage,” he said. “Sometimes fishermen bring in large catches, but there is nowhere to store them. Apart from a single freezer donated some time ago, there are no proper facilities. Fish often spoils before it can be sold.”

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The floods closed 18 free primary and secondary schools in Qallaafe and surrounding villages in Shabelle zone, leaving children facing an uncertain future.

Among those affected is Omar Sheikh Abdi Khayre, who fled from Shubo village to nearby Goobyaal area after floodwaters swept through his community.

Three of his children attending Shubo Primary and Intermediate School have not returned to class since the disaster struck in April. There is no school where they are currently living.

“The children are frustrated because their education has stopped,” Omar told Radio Ergo. “They have lost their routine and now spend their days like rural children with nothing to do.”

Omar, a father of 18 children from three households, said his family is surviving on maize and porridge distributed by the Somali Regional administration. He is uncertain how long the assistance will continue.

The floods destroyed their farmland, food stocks, a small grocery shop that provided additional income, and killed three goats and a donkey used for transport.

“I had two and a half hectares of farmland. Two hectares were planted with sesame and maize, while the remaining land produced beans and vegetables. The floodwaters took everything. I also lost food stocks and livestock. Twenty-one sacks of sesame, maize, and beans were swept away,” he said.

The 60-year-old farmer said the flooding struck at night after rising river water breached the barriers that residents had built in an attempt to protect their homes and farms.

Although he hopes to resume farming once the water recedes, he fears recovery could take months as river levels remain high. He is also worried that floodwaters could reach the area where his family is currently sheltering.

Many displaced families told Radio Ergo they are drinking contaminated floodwater because wells and other clean water sources have either been damaged or remain inaccessible.

Among them is Ibrahim Ali, who also fled Shubo and now lives in Goobyaal, about 10 kilometres from his former home. The father of 17 children said his family were sleeping under trees after escaping with little more than the clothes they were wearing.

“I am deeply worried. I used to live in a proper house, but today I live under a tree. My family is suffering. What we need most are mosquito nets, plastic sheets for shelter, food, and basic household items. We are struggling to survive and cannot cook three meals a day,” he said.

Ibrahim said seven of his children had been unable to continue their education since the floods displaced the family.

“The floods took our food, our belongings, and killed some of our livestock. We left behind everything our children used to eat and wear. A family that once had hopes and plans for the future has lost its livelihood, education, and home. It is deeply discouraging,” he said.

Most of the affected families are farmers living along the banks of the Shabelle River. Their homes, typically built from mud, grass, and corrugated iron sheets, were highly vulnerable to flooding.

The head of Qallaafe zone Disaster Risk Management Office, Mohamed Radi Nur, said the flooding that began on 15 April had affected more than 5,000 households and displaced around 1,600 families across 33 villages.

He said local authorities, working with humanitarian partners, had distributed maize and porridge to 500 displaced households while efforts continued to reach those still awaiting assistance.

“As a district administration, we have made extensive efforts to support affected communities. We distributed 250 quintals of maize to seven villages and recently received 1,068 sacks of porridge from the regional government. Additional relief support is expected in the coming days,” he said.

Mohamed noted that some villages remained cut off by floodwaters, forcing aid workers to use boats to reach isolated communities. A recent assessment by his office found that the floods destroyed 2,315 hectares of farmland, killed 348 livestock, damaged two health facilities, 18 schools, and five water wells.

Thousands of families in Qallaafe whose livelihoods have been disrupted are also very worried about the interruption of their children’s education, with uncertainty over when they can return to school.

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