Rahma Ali Hassan aged 32 years old is a mother of three. She fled the fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu in 2009 and is now living in Mara Adde village, near Afgoi town around 40 km west of Mogadishu where a borehole was drilled and constructed by CED and funded by Oxfam Novib. She first escaped their home in Mogadishu in late August 2009 when the fighting between opposition groups and TFG forces backed by AMISOM forces intensified in the city.
Home for Rahma, her three children aged between 7 and 2, is a four room house shared with two other families. Her oldest son, who used to go to school in Mogadishu, can no longer do so because they are displaced and camped at Mara Adde village. She counts herself as lucky and said:
“But Lafweyn village (North Mogadishu, where she lived before) became a war zone. Every day we heard gun fire & explosions and also saw strayed bullets. One day there was so much shelling that two of my neighbor’s families were killed. A day later my house and my next neighbor’s door were destroyed by Shells. One day after we left Mogadishu”. My household furniture and utensils were looted by militias after we left, but being still alive is the good thing. Things will change and good days will hopefully come back soon”.
“As a displaced person, I usually live or stay in makeshift home and in most cases I use to take care of my children and we are in safe condition. CED and Oxfam Novib drilled this Mara Adde borehole and the reason we came here is for water because water is life that is why we are here”. She added.
“In the future, I am planning to go back to the capital, Mogadishu if peace and security is restored and will restart the education of my child and will live in a peaceful life”. She concluded.
Fig. 03: Rahmo Ali with her children (IDP) taking water from Marade Water Well, Afgoi