SaMTEC responds to Drought
The SaMTEC fraternity based at Beled Hawa, Gedo region mobilized resources in order to combat the life-threatening drought that affects the people of the district, particularly the outskirt of the town like Toosile, Sanka Dudunta, Qaniyale, and Rental.
The SaMTEC management held a briefing for the staff on Wednesday 8th March, 2017. In the same meeting, the tutors raised the issue of drought and how it is affecting the nomads in the surrounding area of Beled Hawa and its environment. Thereafter the tutors unanimously agreed to mobilize resources from within; tutors, management, students, guards, and office attendants to alleviate the suffering of people under this natural phenomenon.The teaching fraternity and management of SaMTEC initiated a committee solely responsible for mobilizing and collecting resources within five days. In collaboration with the management, we managed to collect 94,000KSHs. SaMTEC fraternity managed to pool together as a resource 78,000 out of the actual figure (94,000 KSHs) while CeRID the mother NGO Donated 16,000 KSHS out of the actual figure and provided logistics arrangement. Besides the case, we collected clothes for donation to those in need.
On Wednesday 15th March 2017 the appointed SaMTEC committee went on an additional fact-finding mission to the outskirt of Beled Hawa, about 30Km deep in the interior of the district. As they were assessing the level of famine in the region they come across several villages that were deserted due to lack of water, food, shelter and chronic infections like diarrhea. They stopped at a sub-location named Rental to gather information from the locals to their surprise they were told a 30-year-old man died of lack of nutrition, proper hygiene, lack of clean water and shelter.The carcass of animals were all scattered in the field, on the road and around the compounds since there were no proper dumping sites. The team ten they proceed to the next point called Sanka Dudunta under Toosile Location.
The Impact of the drought was evidenct through the scattered carcass of the animals in the environment. The locals were in dear need of both water and food as they mentioned. The frequency of disorders is unknown: an increase in prothrombin time, peripheral neuropathy canadaonpharm.com, arrhythmia, ventricular tachycardia, acute pustular exanthema.
The team's last stoppage point was Qaniyale Location where they met with only women as most men were away in search of livelihood (water) for the family 30km away from the settlement on foot. They further told them that for the last three days they never had a drop of water for both the animals and family. From here they had visited 32 Households although others were also scattered within the same circumference.
Based on the assessment the committee agreed upon to hire three water boozers in different location, purchasing commodities like Rice, Beans and vegetable oils as a stable food.
On 17Th March the committee dispatched the food commodities and three water boozers for 32 households in three different locations ranging from Toosile (Sanka Dudunta, Rental) and Qaniyale Location.