Somali Drought: 'Every month, we get less to eat'

Not enough customers, not enough rain

In the village, Ardo runs a small store, where she sells food, detergent, shoes and other small daily necessities. “It is hard. I don’t have enough customers. Now, most people buy on loan because they no longer have an income due to the current drought,” Ardo reports. She gets her goods delivered from the next largest town, a three-hour drive across the desert. The cost of transportation and food is rising. The price of rice, sugar and wheat for a month has risen from $90 to $130.

“Inflation and the rising market price make it very difficult,” she continues.

“The war in Ukraine is also affecting our prices. Every month, we get less to eat. It will only get better when it finally rains.”

If things continue like this, Ardo will have to close her store because her customers are not able to pay. Though her dream is to expand her store and hire someone to help her.

With a feather-duster made of dry grass…

After breakfast — a wheat flour paste — with her granddaughters at 7 a.m., Ardo goes to her store, which is right in front of her house. She opens the doors and starts sorting her goods. The dust and sand of the dry streets is also visible here inside the store on the packages. With a feather duster made of dry grass she removes the coarsest and waits for the first customers. On good days 15 villagers visit her store — usually before the main meals. Around 12:30 p.m., she closes the store for lunch — rice with some meat.

After lunch she is back in her store until 9 p.m. In a big blue book, she writes down all of the loans. Some people have a whole page to themselves, listing up to 30 items they have bought. “No one has the money to even buy rice,” the grandmother says.

A great need to be met

CARE supports Ardo and other villagers with cash assistance. By setting up small savings and loans groups, villagers are also able to get loans for their businesses. “But the drought is also affecting the small savings group,” explains the chairwoman. “We cannot hold our meetings as regularly as we used to because we have to walk very far with our herds of animals to find water. Also, most of the residents do not have the money to save.”

The people of Somalia are in desperate need of support. “We are in great need. We need more help so we can survive,” Ardo concludes.

Here is how CARE helps people in this village affected by drought in Somalia:

In addition to cash assistance and small savings groups, CARE is helping the village by maintaining and constructing water tanks. CARE has also built a well. But the groundwater tastes very sour and is mostly used for livestock. But when the need is as great as it is now, this water is also used for drinking.