the head of Hello Trust was killed in laasanod +Women cry from pinches of civil war

[Garyaqaan2]

Laas Caanood - 27.April.2005 Waxaa magaalada Laas Caanood lagu diley sarkaalkii ugu sarreeyey magaalada Laas Caanood ee hay'adda miino baadhista ee Hello Trust.

 

Falkan dilka ah ayaa waxaa lagu beegsaday Cabdiweli Xuseen Caarshe abbaara 8:00pm ee habeenimadii xalay, waxana wararkii ugu horreeyey ee halkaasi ka soo baxay ay sheegayaan in dilkani uu la xiiro aano qabiil.

 

Waxaa saaka magaalada Laas Caanood lagu arki karayey bileyska iyo laamaha kale ee amaanka oo gaaf wareegaya kuwaas oo ku raad jooga gacan ku dhiiglihii falkan geystey kaas oo aan ilaa iyo haatan gacanta lagu hayn.

 

Geerida ku timid mas'uulkaasi ayaa waxay sababtay in albaabada loo laabo goobihii ganacsiga iyadoo ay dadweynaha la soo deristey cabsi dhinaca aargiisiga ah, xaaladduse waxay caadi ku soo noqotay goor dambe oo xalay ah.

 

Hadalhaynta dadweynaha magaalada Laas Caanood ee saaka ayaa waxay u badnayd dilkii loo geystey Cabdiweli Xuseen Caarshe iyo dhibaatada suurta galka ah ee ka dambayn karta.

 

Geerida mas'uulkaasi ayaa waxay ka dambeysey rag haatan ka hor ay laba beelood isaga kala dileen, jawiga magaalada Laas Caanoodna haatan waa mid aad u wanaagsan.

 

Nuux Muuse Birjeeb

SBC Laas

 

 

I Know it happens every where in somalia But I have to give it up for somaliland being # one chat

 

Mogadishu, Somalia, 04/26 - Among the many things that the civil war left as scars on Somaliland are changes in the role of women.

 

In traditional Somali culture men are known as the sole breadwinners of families; they are supposed to provide the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing for members of their families.

 

But when the war that rocked the breakaway republic erupted in the late eighties, women`s roles and in the society changed for the worst.

 

On top of grave social injustices like dis-inheritance, female genital mutilation (FGM), polygamy, domestic violence and illiteracy suffered by Somaliland women, most of them were forced to assume the harder economic role of providing basic family needs.

 

A recent World Bank survey done in major towns in the country shows Somaliland women being breadwinners in almost 70% of households, a function which became inevitable though a major departure from tradition.

 

This new turnaround was necessitated by several factors that include deaths of their spouse due to the war, widespread use and abuse of Khat (a stimulant chewed by most men in Somaliland) polygamy, displacement and divorce.

 

Other factors that compounded their predicament included family negligence by husbands and poverty.

 

The low-keyed event to observe 8 March 2005, International Women`s Day that is unknown to many in Somaliland, unmasked the need for tremendous task to redress the manifold challenges that Somaliland women continue to face.

 

Women in Somaliland continue to be pushed to the fringes by abject poverty and minimal education opportunities for girls and women compared with boys and men.

 

In addition, increasing reports of grave social injustices against women in the self-declared republic is an indication that years of debates on women issues have not yet changed the social perception about women.

 

Some women even questioned the validity of a specific day (International Women Day) set to address women issues when they continue to face myriad of problems and their struggle continues to be hampered by entrenched social, religious and cultural barriers.

 

In a random observation at Hargeysa market, jewellery shops, Khat stands, groceries and some other business stalls, this reporter saw a significant number of women vendors, selling every conceivable item ranging from fresh groceries, jewels, foodstuff, clothes, beauty items, Khat, fresh milk and tea.

 

Moreover, some of them still manage to juggle roles as the breadwinners with that of being housewives and loving mothers.

 

Most of them start the day as early as 4 a.m., virtually being the passengers on the public buses streaming to Hargeysa from various suburbs.

 

They hurry to alight and rush to their places of business to set up their stalls, open their shops, and sell their fresh foodstuffs to customers who amazingly comprise a large number of women.

 

As most of them decried the harsh conditions facing them, some told PANA that they are forced to toil in such manner due to abandonment by their husbands who have decided not to care in providing for basic needs for families.

 

They also cited lack of public toilets for women selling at marketplaces.

 

Despite dozens of public toilets in Hargeysa town, women are using none of them, due to cultural barriers that discourage women to mingle with men in public areas and thus most women shun from using the public toilets.

 

"When I arrive here, I am forced to hold back my self, I can`t even afford to go for a short call; and recently I was diagnosed with kidney complication which was likely caused by these situation I am finding my self in," narrated Fatima Ibrahim, a mother of four who ekes out a living through the sale of Khat.

 

She complained that all her customers are men who sometimes refuse to pay the full price she demands for her Khat.

 

"If I stop coming here, nobody would care for me and my children and we will suffer deeply," she concluded.

 

Asha Mohammed, a fresh vegetable and milk vendor at Hargeysa market, said things started going bad for her in 1995 when her husband got addicted to chewing Khat for long hours.

 

In so doing, he started deserting his well-paying job in one of the aid agencies operating from Hargeysa and he was eventually sacked before he abandoned the family for Ethiopia.

 

"Since then things have been very tough for me and my children; and I can only provide food, cloths and shelter for them but schooling.

 

Most of the women told PANA that both government and humanitarian organizations have not done much to help address their plight.

 

They said the trend continued to increase and only few of the latest Somali returnees benefited from a micro-credit project offered by the US-based agency-CARE International.

 

Ms Shukri Harir Ismail, executive Producer/Trainer of Health Unlimited -- a women media project based in Hargeisa, lamented that most men in Somaliland have forsaken their families and become addicted to chewing Khat.

 

She regretted the huge amount of cash Somaliland men spend on buying Khat, saying the amount could have made a great impact on living standard in the country.

 

All the Khat chewed in Somaliland are brought from neighbouring Ethiopia.

 

Latest statistics available at one of the leading money transfer companies, Dahabshill, show that Khat companies remit some $200,000,000 daily to Ethiopia from the sale of the stimulant in Somaliland.

 

Even though the Somaliland government has set the tone for women participation in politics by offering them two ministerial posts, the reality is that majority of Somaliland women remain submerged in poverty.

 

 

Source: Angola Press, Apr 27, 2005

[Xoogsade]

Bro, one way or the other, somali women were the backbone of their families as far as back as you look at somali culture. The only difference between now and then is how heavier the load they have to carry on their shoulders is. Waa loo baxsadey.

[Jamster]

Alaha Unaxariisto