What they need most is drinking water, shelter and food

[XOG-ogaal]

I don't understand how the goverment hopes to win the hearts these people...shabele hoose/dhexe, hiraan, dego,jubooyinka. why couldn't they have one group that represenst both parties the courts and the govermnet and put their differences aside to help those in need

 

MOGADISHU, 22 Nov 2006 (IRIN) - When Sheikh Nur Barud went on television to co-host a fundraising programme, he knew his clout could move Somalis in the capital, Mogadishu, and in the diaspora to support hundreds of thousands of people across the country uprooted by floods.

 

"Our brothers need us," the blind scholar said during the drive on HornAfrik radio and television on Monday. "Let us show the world we can lean on each other at this time of need. Please send in your contributions to the money transfer companies. This is the time to help one another."

 

newsBy Tuesday, nearly half a million dollars had been collected for a national kitty to help the flood victims. "I have decided to hand in my gold ornaments," said one woman, speaking from abroad. "This is my contribution towards helping our brothers and sisters affected by the floods … I wish I could provide more than that."

 

Against the backdrop of grim pictures of women and children begging for food after their mud-thatched houses had been submerged, hundreds of ordinary people from Somalia and as far away as Finland pledged support. Even children got involved - young shoe-shiners in the city contributed US$6.

 

Tuesday’s contributions stood at $300,000. Another $150,000 had been collected on Monday at a fundraising organised by the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls the capital.

 

Million-dollar drive

 

Organisers of the programme hope to collect $1 million, saying they will air a similar show on 26 November. "We will repeat this programme next week," presenter Said Tahlil told listeners. "This is aimed at giving more people the opportunity to participate in helping the victims of the floods."

 

Ali Imaan Sharmarke, managing partner of HornAfrik, said the event was heard and watched by Somalis both inside the country and in the diaspora in Europe, Middle East and Africa via Arabsat television. It started 7:30 pm local time and ended at midnight "while people were still pledging".

 

"This is our way of saying we should not always wait for outside help, we should start helping each other first," Sharmarke added. "We are trying to create a new culture of fundraising for the less fortunate among us and tell the world that however little we have, Somalis will share with each other."

 

Ahmed Yusuf, chairman of Hormuud Telecommunication Company, said he was happy to take part in the project. "This is a noble cause," he said. "We have contributed $35,000. I am very happy to join in and help our affected brothers."

 

Humanitarian emergency

 

With no functioning government, Somalia, which is facing the worst floods in decades after the Juba and Shabelle rivers burst their banks, is facing a particularly hard time. According to the United Nations, an estimated 900,000 people will need food and other assistance in the next three months. Many of their villages have been completely washed away.

 

The Shabelle and Juba rivers which snake through Somalia burst their banks last month after heavy rains, submerging villages, bridges and roads, making it hard for food aid to reach thousands of marooned victims. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net), about 1.1 million people in the affected areas are already facing a humanitarian emergency.

 

Apart from killing dozens of people and driving tens of thousands from their submerged homes, the rising waters have also raised fears of possible outbreaks of epidemics. This week, Fews Net warned that the flooding had inundated thousands of hectares of farmland and would significantly curtail harvests early in 2007, creating food shortages.

 

The worst-hit areas are Gedo, Juba Valley, Hiiraan and Shabelle Valley regions. On Sunday, residents of Baladweyne town in Hiiraan said hungry crocodiles that have come down with the water ate five people, who were trying to wade through flood waters to seek shelter on higher ground.

 

"The year 2006 has been catastrophic for the Somali people. After the worst drought in a decade, they are now facing torrential rain," said Pascal Hundt, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Somalia. "Families are pushed to the limit of their capabilities trying to survive under such extreme climate conditions. What they need most is drinking water, shelter and food."

[Caano Geel]

Yes, i've been following this story ofr the past few weeks. For those that would like to contribute, but without direct contacts to UIC fund raisers, save the children is also raising donations for flood relief

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thanks