Working for an NGO
Hargeisa
February – August 2002
Background
During 2002, I was part of an International team of aid and
relief workers who worked for an NGO, HOPE Worldwide, in Hargeisa, Somali-land.
We were involved with educational and health care projects and partnered with
other NGO's such as UNICEF, UNDP, and WHO.
Life in Somali-land was a lot less challenging than I
imagined. One sees the news on CNN and BBC on countries like these of 'mortars
flying around and burning buildings', which creates a certain expectation and
anticipation. I felt reasonably safe and our living environment even allowed us
certain luxuries.
We stayed in a compound which were guarded 24/7 by guards.
We had a land cruiser with a Somali driver that drove us everywhere and acted
as our translator. We did venture out on foot to walk to the nearby orphanage
or take a quick jog, but it usually attracted a lot of unwanted
attention.
Abdi Hakim, our driver took us out into the desert area on
the outskirts of Hargeisa to do undisturbed exercising and jogging and some
welcome privacy out in nature.
The HOPE team shared a house. We all had our own bedrooms,
but bathrooms had to be shared. Municipal provided electricity in Hargeisa was
limited to 2 hours per day, so we had a generator as a back-up, but had to use
it sparsely. We had an Ethiopian cook, who cooked three highly enriched
carbo-hydrated meals every day, so needless to say I picked up a lot of weight.
We were invited to many functions by our partners and
friends at restaurants. The very colonial thing to do was to have a sunset
picnic on top of Hargeisa hill on the outskirts of Hargeisa.
We played football with some of the Somali's at home during
siesta times, as everything in Hargeisa closes between 12 pm and 4 pm, we were
forced to take a siesta. The temperature during siesta was also very high, so
it was a good idea not to be out and about in very conservative clothing. We
did not have air conditioning in the house, which was challenging at
times.
Mosquitoes were a big problem and we had to sleep under
mosquito nets. A good place to hang out was on the roof of our house and at
times we even took our sleeping bags and slept there. We had a great view of
the neighborhood from the roof, which the high walls around our compound
blocked us from.
The locals always treated us with respect and friendliness.
The expat community consisting of other NGO workers formed a close-knit
community and we received friendship, outreach, and support on a regular basis.
One’s experiences may almost be compared to the romanticized colonial experiences
of the expatriates as portrayed in the film "Out of Africa". Very few
people would ever get the opportunity to experience Somalia.
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| Somali policeman - One of the security checkpoints just outside Hargeisa |
About Hargeisa
Hargeisa (Somali: Hargeysa) is a city situated in the
Woqooyi Galbeed region of the self-declared but internationally unrecognized
Republic of Somali-land in the Horn of Africa. It is the capital and
largest city of Somali-land.
The city succeeded Berbera as the capital of the British
Somali-land protectorate in 1941. In 1960, the protectorate gained independence
and united as scheduled days later with the Trust Territory of Somali-land (the
former Italian Somali-land) to form the Somali Republic (Somalia) on July
1.
Hargeisa is situated in a valley in the Galgodon (Ogo)
highlands and sits at an elevation of 1,334 m (Wikipedia).
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| Rural scenery on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
About Somali-land
Somali-land, officially the Republic of Somali-land
(Somali: Jamhuuriyadda Somaliland), is a self-declared state, internationally
recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia.
The government of the de facto state of Somali-land regards
itself as the successor state to the former British Somali-land protectorate,
which as the State of Somali-land united as scheduled on 1 July 1960 with the
Trust Territory of Somali-land (the former Italian Somali-land) to form the
Somali Republic.
Somali-land lies in north-western Somalia, on the southern
coast of the Gulf of Aden, and is bordered by Somalia to the east, Djibouti to
the northwest, and Ethiopia to the south and west.
Its claimed territory has an area of 137,600 square
kilometers, with approximately 4 million residents. The capital and the largest
city is Hargeisa, with a population of around 1,200,000 residents.
Outskirts of Hargeisa
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| Abdi Hakim, our driver in our land cruiser, waiting for us after we jogged on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
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| Posing after I had my late afternoon jog in the desert area on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
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| Somali policemen - Security checkpoint |
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| Colorful truck at a security checkpoint |
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| Rural scenery on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
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| Rural scenery on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
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| Local - on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
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| Rural scenery on the outskirts of Hargeisa. We used to go for walks or runs in this area. |
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| Rural scenery on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
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| Rural scenery on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
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| Rural scenery on the outskirts of Hargeisa |
Trips to Berbera
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| Pit stop - taking a break from driving. The road between Berbera and Hargeisa. |
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| Desert picnic en route to Berbera |
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| Burnt out tanks are scattered throughout rural Somaliland |
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| Abdi Hakim and other locals on top of remnants of the civil war |
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| Remnants of Somaliland's brutally sad past |
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| The coastal city of Berbera |
We also conducted minor trips and outreaches to Nairobi, Kenya, and also Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
After 5 months in Somaliland, Kenya, and Ethiopia, having the adventure of a lifetime, our project was cut short by geopolitical circumstances, such as 9/11 beyond our control.
Sadly, due to safety and security reasons, our project was brought to a halt quite prematurely, and we returned to our respective countries.
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