by Olive Thiong'o
Prolonged droughts, extensive deforestation, and dependence on a single source of income have been a growing concern in the Bari region of North-Eastern Somalia. The degraded rangelands do not provide enough feed for the largely pastoral community’s livestock, which leaves them with little to no way to earn a living.
Earlier this year, Adeso started Cash for Work (CfW) activities here, aimed at restoring natural resources by controlling soil erosion using gully stabilization, and using ditches to divert water for conservation.
The Cash for Work program established village environmental committees that selected the most vulnerable families to take part in environmental rehabilitation; women were specifically targeted. Households were considered particularly vulnerable when they were female-headed, were faced with disabilities, or had elderly members, or those without source of income.
“We were desperate. Seeing our animals dying for lack of pasture and water made us give up. We had no expectations of restoring our land, but Adeso helped us, thanks to Allah,” said Raho Mohamud, a 36-year-old lady who took part in the CfW activities. Raho, who has five children, runs a tea shop in the village. Since starting work on the project, she has purchased more items to sell in her shop and improved her family’s living conditions.
Through the CfW program, women are now able to earn an income, reducing their dependence on others to feed and educate the family. Each community worker earned $130 for a month’s worth of work, the going rate for unskilled labor in the region.
Many of the laborers now say that with this income they are able to meet their financial responsibilities such as paying school fees, starting up their own businesses, as well as maintaining their households. They also pointed out that at the same time they are able to help restore their environment.
Mohamed Sacid, one of the laborers, said: “I really felt happy when I was able to cover my children’s school fees and family expenses. We will be pleased if the Cash for Work activities go on because we will have job opportunities and will be able to improve our grazing land.”
“I want to extend my gratitude to Adeso and those who spent time and effort to deliver this unforgettable gift to our community and grazing land,” he added.