Hamila Abdi her son walked for 7 weeks before recently arriving at Dadaab refugee camp.
AFSC staff Christine Mbito spoke with refugees in Dadaab on her trip July 25-28. Here is Halima Abdi’s story, as told by Christine.
“Farah (the translator) and I met Halima Abdi, a new arrival, in Hagadera camp.
“Halima had just arrived from Afmadow, a city in southern Somalia, located in the middle of the Juba region bordered by Kenya. The journey was very harsh for her youngest child, who is just now is looking like his usual self.
“She says she cannot express the mixed feelings she experienced at the entry point when she finally crossed the border into Kenya. She does not know if Somalia is ever going to be a safe and drought-free country, but knows that those two conditions are necessary for any human being to be altogether healthy.
“Halima says, ‘There is a lot of suffering for us people of Somalia. We have bad leaders, bad drought and never-ending war and constant inter-clan disputes.’”As AFSC’s plans evolve to help with this crisis, we hope to maintain our programs that provide skills for conflict resolution and quality livelihoods that will help lead to lasting peace in Somalia – and hope for Halima.
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