Although quite advanced in age, Maryan Gelle Kadie cuts the figure of a very energetic and motivated individual. Beneath her bright veneer however lies a sad and poignant story. “9 months”, she says. That is how long she has been an IDP at one of the biggest IDP settlements in Mogadishu – Baadere IDP Camp. Prior to the 2011 drought that severely hit Somalia, Maryan was a resident of Gedo Region, where she kept several animals consisting of goats and sheep as well as grew some crops. The severe debilitating drought however wiped out her entire livestock herd forcing her to travel to Mogadishu where she had heard that the Government was offering food rations for persons affected by drought. That however was the beginning of her problems. “When I arrived at the camp, I was in shock to find out that no food rations were being provided at all”, she asserts, rather despondently. She adds that as a result, she was forced to fend for herself by asking for rations from the few relatives and friends she knew in Mogadishu. Many are the times she slept hungry, a sad reality that is reflected in her weak frame. Maryan is also in desperate need of proper shelter and clean safe water.
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