- Somali Land
- GROW
“I never went to school, so I couldn’t find a better job than working in charcoal production. What I used to earn wasn’t sufficient to make my ends meet, but I had no other option. It was terrible thing to do. It was harmful to my health and environment”
Muhumed Ismail Abdi, 34, is the father of six boys and one girl. With his family, they live in a rural area of Somaliland.
Muhumed is the sole breadwinner for his household. Like most families in the region, their livelihood depended on agro-pastoralist activities. But then came the drought. It killed 20 of Muhumed’s livestock, 80 in total, over the most recent droughts.
“As drought condition worsened, it became hard to get milk from the livestock and subsequently two of my children became ill due to malnutrition. I had no money to take them to the city for diagnosis. It was a terrible condition I couldn’t do much about.”
Thanks to Candlelight, an Oxfam partner, Muhumed’s life has improved. During 2 months, along with 19 other villagers from the region, he received a training in masonry. They learned about stones and bricks, plastering and construction of foundation works. They were also given a start-up kit to set up their own masonry services in their villages.
Masonry is a skill very much in need in Gudubi, Muhumed’s village: numerous construction projects are underway and few people are qualified. Previous to the training, workers had to be hired from the city.
With his new skills, Muhumed is now optimistic about future. He earns $15 for each working day. “Now I am planning to develop my career to become professional in masonry to set up a construction company in Gudubi. I also want my children to get access to health and education.”
Photo: Amal Nagib/Oxfam
Take action!
Muhmued is one of the many people who are least to blame, yet hit the hardest by climate change. It’s time to take urgent action to tackle climate change and stand with those hit first and worst by extreme weather and disasters. Sign African [people’s petition: https://act.oxfam.org/international/women-food-climate
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