Mohamud’s story
Like the majority of people living in Mandera, north-east Kenya, 47-year-old Mohamud Sheikh Mohamud is a pastoralist who makes a living from his livestock. But years of repetitive droughts have plagued the region and decimated precious herds. Pastoralists like Mohamud have gradually lost almost all their animals.
Mohamud lives with his wife and seven children in a traditional ‘hori’ hut that is made from thatch and palm leaves in Rhamu, central Mandera. He used to own cattle and goats that he would sell at market to buy food for his family, but ongoing drought left him with just a few weak animals, and no way to make a living.
Serious drought
Mandera is currently in the grip of a serious drought. Rivers and water pans are already dry and crops and pasture have withered. People are surviving on less than four litres of water a day. Over the years these droughts have become more frequent and intense, and people have gradually lost their ability to cope with these continuous disasters.
“In the good days I had a large herd of cattle, camels, sheep and goats. We had plenty of meat and enough money to buy everything we needed. But now I have seven children to feed and only a few animals,” said Mohamud.
He continued, “It hurts to see my livestock dying because they have no grass to eat. Often we too have to go without meals because there is nothing to eat. Until Islamic Relief came to help us all we could do was to wait for someone to give us food.”
Empowering pastoralists
Islamic Relief is helping pastoralists such as Mohamud who have been affected by the drought to set up small scale businesses and cultivate land for agriculture, helping them to grow their own food and make a living.
Mohamud and other pastoralists in his village have grouped together to form an agricultural committee. Islamic Relief provided this group with pumps to bring water from a nearby river and helped them build canals to irrigate their land. We also provided them with seeds, tools and training in agricultural techniques.
Inspiring confidence
“I am not worried about the drought any more. This season I am successfully growing maize and cowpeas. Once I have harvested them I will feed them to my surviving animals to keep them alive until the drought passes,” Mohamud said.
“I will also have enough food with which to feed my family. After my last harvest I got an income from selling my tomatoes and kale at market. In the past my family was surviving on food aid, but Islamic Relief opened my eyes and I am now producing my own food.”
Mohamud is also hoping to be able to save some of the money that he is now earning to buy more goats and cows that can provide milk for his children. Although the current drought in Mandera is affecting everyone, Mohamud now has the resources to be able to plan and deal with the consequences.
“I believe that I will no longer need food relief,” said Mohamud. “I believe that I can be independent and self reliant; I have seen it and have done it, so I believe it.”
