Six years in limbo, and counting

When asked what makes her happy, Udugow responds like every matriarch I’ve ever known.

“When my children are happy that makes me happy. Their happiness is my happiness.”

And what makes her afraid? “The opposite—when I cannot meet my family’s needs.”

She says this while cradling her grandson, Sadak, in her arms, sitting on a low wooden stool in her makeshift shelter at the Awal Barwaago settlement for internally displaced people. When International Women’s Day rolls around, it’s women like Udugow that I think about. Women rising to face challenges they never would have wished for.

Forced from home by drought

“As I recall, growing up, we didn’t have this many frequent dry seasons and wells drying up,” Udugow says.

It’s a hot, dry and windy day—typical for January in Baidoa, Somalia. For six years, 45-year-old Udugow and her family have been living in the camp. Severe drought drove them from their home in the Wajid district, about 90 kilometres away.

“By the time we decided to leave, the wells had dried, the farms were dry with no crops,” she says. “There was nothing for us to eat.”

Building a new life in limbo

Udugow and her husband Ibrahim have two adult daughters, aged 20 and 18, and a five-year-old son. Ibrahim earns money wherever he can, usually as a donkey cart transporter. Udugow collects and sells firewood once a week, travelling two hours by foot to the outskirts of Baidoa.

“It’s not much, what I get after all the struggle,” she admits, “but that’s what am relying on for now to put food on the table.”

Udugow has another specific worry that weighs on her heart: her daughter, Faduma. Since Faduma’s husband abandoned her and her children, they now live with Udugow and Ibrahim.

“You can see I have grandchildren. They are young. They have many needs,” Udugow says. “As a mother, I cannot bear to see my daughter go through this alone.”

The weight of caring for her children and grandchildren pulls on Udugow’s shoulders, and the rough living conditions make everything harder: “You can also see the housing situation here and understand for yourself that things are difficult.”

Even with these heavy burdens, Udugow prefers this life to the one they left behind.

“Life here is better,” she says firmly, “even though it is away from home, and I miss home, at least here we get assistance.”

Support from World Vision and Global Affairs Canada

Udugow remembers arriving at the camp six years ago. World Vision was the first organization she encountered. At that time, she recalls receiving food, medication and water.

A water collection point 100 metres from her home, funded by Global Affairs Canada, has provided a constant flow of water ever since they’ve lived here. Udugow says she collects six 20-litre containers every day.

Her two grandchildren attend a child-friendly space, also supported by Global Affairs Canada, where they learn and play and get snacks. (According to the World Vision facilitator, this could be the only food some children get all day.)

Through a World Vision project, Udugow’s daughter Faduma has also received skills training, learning tie-dye techniques and henna makeup application. She hopes this will provide another income source in the future.

Motivated by her family and her faith

Udugow credits her faith as a major source of strength. Whenever she is afraid or facing difficulty, she prays.

“Life hasn’t been easy on us but I still find hope and inspiration when I look at my children and my grandchildren,” she says.

Will they ever return home? Udugow is unsure.

“The problems that made us leave in the first place, are still there,” she says. “Maybe one day, I can consider going back if that all goes away.”