Dadaab, East Kenya, 9 Oct 2011 – The second Lifeline For Somalia team comprising three HALUAN members are now working hand-in-hand with international NGOs at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya-Somalia border.

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They are there with one noble mission – easing the hardship of Somalian refugees fleeing from the devastating drought and starvation in their homeland.

The team, made up of Mr. Nizam Awang, Dr.Mohd Arbaai Shawal and Mr. Abu Ubaidah Musa arrived in Dadaab yesterday evening after an 8 long hour drive from Nairobi, including three hours of off-road Savannah with a four wheel drive from Garissa to Dadaab. The journey managed to portrayed the pain endured by the locals – old makeshift tents, children by the roadside begging for water and women and kids herding goats and camels are among the images that flashed by.

Wild animals like the impala, giraffe and dig-dig were also caught in sight, displaying the beauty of the Savannah despite the still gripping horrible drought.

This team provides emergency assistance in supplying cooked food, hygienic water for consumption and medication for newly arrived refugees at Liboi, 35km to the Somalian border. Liboi is one of the three entrance points for refugees from Somalia.
According to team leader, Mr. Mohd Nizam, Insani Yardem Vakfi (IHH) an NGO from Turkey is already prepared to accept their presence with properly planned assistance program for the refugees. 
 
“As we arrived at the IHH help centre, we were given a briefing about the centre which is built before Rajab last year. The place is equipped with barracks, additional tents, medicine store, help item store and an operation office,” explained Mohd Nizam.

He added, food supply is done more systematically here where it covers not only the refugee camps, but also villages where Somalian refugees reside. These villages apparently do not receive attention from any international bodies.

Priority is also given to efforts on providing cooked food and medical treatment to newly arrived refugees at the Kenyan border. Some of them walked for 20 days without adequate food supply and reached the border being sick as well as extremely tired, hungry and thirsty. Many did not make it and died mid-way.

Besides emergency assistance, what seems to be needed here is long-term plans for the refugees. Among those that is up and about is the establishment of more conducive dugsi (traditional Somalian madrasah system) to produce new generation of educated, productive and independent Somalis. Plan is also being made on developing a permanent treatment centre that is more strategic; comprising a mosque, education classes, hospital and cooking areas for refugees. This centre will be run with the co-operation of medical international volunteers.

The HALUAN Humanitarian Mission team in Dadaab is funded by donations collected from generous Malaysian philanthropists, channeled through the HALUAN humanitarian aid. The fund allows medicines, food and clean water to make its way to the refugees.

HALUAN extends its hope that Malaysians will be together in providing long term assistance for the Somali refugees. Your concern lights a hope for sustainable lifeline for Somalia.

Donations can be made to HALUAN Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad account at 14-023-01-002571-8. Thank you.

Mohd Nizam Awang writes from Dadaab camp, East Kenya