our last day in Dadaab...at Hagadera

Today we had the opportunity to go in to the 3rd and final camp here in Dadaab called Hagadera.  It was one of the first camps (with Ifo) to be established here.  Our lovely guide was our friend Abdi who is a Kenyan of Somali origin (a "kenyan-somali," pictured 4th from left below), so his rapport with the residents in the camps is strengthened by his ability to relate and communicate in Somali, Kiswahili, and English.  He knew a Somali family that was willing to meet with us, so we were eager to speak with someone who effectively would represent the majority of refugees here.  

Muhammad (3rd from left, below) came to Dadaab when he was 2 years old, after his father was killed in the violence in Somalia.  He has lived here all his life, and is now 21 years old and has a wife and beautiful 6 month old daughter.  He showed us around his family's compound - about 4 or 5 rooms (bedrooms and a kitchen) - that they had built over the years out of the sticks and branches and tin roofs provided by various NGOs.  He talked about his experiences growing up here, going to school, looking for work, his perception of the healthcare in the camps, and the relationships between the refugees and NGOs.

 

Muhammad's mother is still living with him (picture below), and although she looks less than pleased in the photo, she actually changed into her nicer outfit after I asked her if I could photograph her.  The interior of their house is seen below, with the blue bed net (called a fly-net instead of mosquito-net here, since malaria is incredibly rare in this region at this time of year) covering Muhammad's sleeping baby.  

Needless to say, our visit caused quite the raucus in their block, and suddenly we found ourselves surrounded by upwards of 50 women and children, with some older boys scattered in the crowd.  When we went to see where their family gets their water, several of the older young men were taking pictures of us foreigners with their cell phone cameras, which was actually refreshing that we were as unfamiliar to them as they were to us.  Speaking of cell phone cameras...this camp has the most amazing market, where even NGO workers go to shop for goods.  They've even set up their own banking system (and remember, there are no real banks or ATMs in dadaab) where their relatives who have been resettled in Minnesota can send them money and they'll have access to that cash the next day. 

  One last stop we made was at a local swimming/drinking/etc hole.  This is from rainwater from SEvERAL months ago, which may not strike someone as very odd, but it's so incredibly hot here...it's amazing that it lasts so long without drying out.  Abdi said "yeah...those kids will all present to clinic in a couple months with hematuria...," (blood in their urine) because the Somalis tend to bring a parasite called Schistosomiasis with them and pass it via urination or defecation in the water.  Let alone all the goats and camels that also use this water as a drinking and bathing source.  But if I was one of those kids, i'd be swimming in that oasis in a heartbeat...schistosomes or not!