Somalia People: Stories of three different struggles

Somalia Events: Friday's Social:
** 3 summaries of people living in Somalia and their daily lives **

Story 1:

Name: Abdidir Ali Hashi, age 22

Occupation: married, no children bus driver.

Summary of his struggles: His bus route is 30km to the city of Mogdishu and on this path, he has to go through six-check-points. At these checkpoints he has to pay 50 000 shillings, which is equivalent to 3 dollars. These are mandatory for him, which is quite unfortunate because fighting would more than likely break out. Abdidir disagrees with it entirely, but its most likely that respects President Abdullahi's choices. Abdidir struggles daily with having to pay these dues because they also limit the amount of education available to him, with this downward daily spiral, there are limited chances for him to stop driving buses. Photograph:

Story 2:

Name: Halima Mubarak Rashid

Occupation: Carries goods for people in the market with her husband and 3 children

Summary of her struggles:
Everyday Halima's mind is "filled with thoughts about daily food". Her and her family does not know where they are going to be able to round-up food at the end of the day, so therefore her s very, very poorly off. Halima came here 14 years ago because there was constant rivalry in her old home region, which was Lower Shabelle. She, along with her husband was chased away and thus she became a refugee. Halima is actually infected with a serious stomach disease but cannot even afford to go to the hospital. Her one child is in secondary school while her other two children are in elementary school. Unfortunately here children were actually sent home because the school fees are 300 000 shillings, which is actually equivalent to 20 dollars a month.
Photograph:

Story 3:

Name: Abdullahi Abuker Mahamud

Occupation: Cattle Herder

Summary of his struggles:

Abdullahi does not have the easiest of a life. He and his family were chased off their own land by a group that was fully armed and dangerous, making his chance at survival smaller. Many of his cows and daily economic intake is stolen by the many freelance gunmen around him. His life is very difficult. Although his perspective on government is that, he fully supports it. It is hard for him because he lost his brother in a gunfight between allied and armed groups. The main reason for all of his support it that it has the opportunity to bring real stability and peace to Somalia. Abdullahi hopes to get his family's land back some day and continue on a better life with the new form of government.

Photograph:

--SaraH*