“I used to carry stones on my back and walk for almost 10 kms so that I could build this house. Every layer of stone was laid slowly for almost one year until I finished. I did this for the sake of my children.”

Halima

Halima Jarso Gordana is a born pastoralist, that means permanency is a foreign concept. However, she has built a permanent house and hopes to build another one for her mother. She strongly believes though that she can still live that nomadic lifestyle.

“Hopefully any future drought situation does not hit us as bad as the last one did. I do not want to move from this place ever again. However, I am still a nomad and if the drought strikes, my family and I will leave this house, move around in search of pasture, water and food. We will come back like we always do.”

She is also the resident wholesale shopkeeper in Rawana and people buy from her. Her home doubles up as her shop. She is a program participant of the cash transfer program under the Strategies for Northern Development (SND)/Oxfam partnership where she received Ksh. 9,536 for a ten month period.

“Part of that money is what has built me this house, and enabled me to send Ksh. 2,000 for school fees every month helping me secure my children's education as well as buy stock for my shop, which will enable me to sell and restock comfortably.”

Halima

Halima Gordana prepares her children for school. Photo by Mark Wahwai.

Her last born wakes up while we are talking and the innocent cry of confusion and need for attention halts the interview. He walks up to her and climbs onto her lap, wanting to be fed -that dependency on a mother is heart-warming.

Oxfam in partnership with SND under the ASAL Humanitarian Network (AHN), was able to provide relief for Jarso and other members of the community by giving them cash relief for the period when the drought had hit them the most.
The cash transfer program was able to reach 599 project participants in the first cycle and 1,200 project participants in the second cycle.

Halima

Halima Gordana withdraws her monthly cash for drought impacted families, at a shop in Marsabit. Photo by Mark Wahwai.

“We have seen drought situations come and go, we have even been in situations where we only moved to the next village or town because it wasn’t that bad. This last drought literally knocked us out, we were desperate and if SND had not come through for us we would have been telling a very different story.”

Story by Oxfam Communications.