Turkish organizations have begun to reach out to Somalia by establishing a regular presence in the country. The first wave of food aid from Turkish NGOs for Somalis arrived at the start of Ramadan.
A Somali woman, Mabure Quiete, 39, lost three of her five children while travelling to an aid camp set up by the Turkish nongovernmental organization Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
The extent of the humanitarian tragedy can be understood when Quiete prays for her remaining two children to not die from the illnesses caused by hunger. The heartbroken mother is waiting for aid and the prayers of benevolent people.
Kimse Yok Mu is active in the aid camps located in Mogadishu. A woman in tears drew the attention of one of Kimse Yok Mu’s Somalia officials, Davut Koçak.
During the first few days in the camp, the 39-year-old mother hesitated to explain why she was sad. However, after a certain time Quiete became closer to Kimse Yok Mu officials in the camp and explained what she has experienced on her way to the aid camp.
“Our village is a six-day walk from the camp area. When everybody decided to head for the camp because of hunger, I decided to come along with my five children. However, I lost a child every two days. My children died because of hunger; the conditions were that bad. When I reached the camp I had left three dead children behind,” recalled the mother in tears.
Quiete added that the first child to die was her 6-year-old. She carried the child with the help of her other children for a while; however, after a short time her 5-year-old child also passed away. “When I lost my second child, I didn’t know what to do. If I had stayed to dig graves for my deceased children, I would have arrived at the camp even later, which could have cost the lives of all of my children. I took the bodies of my two children from the road and left them at an appropriate place. I did not even have the opportunity to dig a grave for my children.”
On the fifth day of Quiete’s journey, her 1-year-old child passed away, and she carried the dead body for a while. However, when her two other children started to show signs of illness, Quiete left the child’s dead body behind. The mother also stated that her husband is dead as well and that she worries for the lives of her two remaining children.
Turkish organizations have begun to reach out to Somalia by establishing a regular presence in the country, which is suffering from its worst drought in half a century. The first wave of food aid from Turkish NGOs for Somalis, who are currently living in tents, arrived at the start of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. The Nile Organization (Nile Organizasyonu) and Kimse Yok Mu have led the relief efforts in the region thus far. Kimse Yok Mu began distributing aid to drought-stricken Somalia on Monday. Representatives from the two associations said food aid was delivered to 1,000 families by the end of that day. They expect to be able to provide aid to more than 5,000 families in the coming weeks. In addition to supplying food and other goods, Turkey will send volunteer physicians to the region, starting in September.
Under the leadership of Kimse Yok Mu and the Physicians for Hope Foundation (ÜHDER), a group of 50 doctors and medical staff will stay in the region for 10 days each month. These physicians will train Somali doctors in everything from health screenings to performing surgery.
Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said that when the country saw the first signs of trouble, the Turks were the first to arrive to help. When Kimse Yok Mu and the Nile Organization met with President Ahmed to discuss how best to help the Somali people in the face of such a disaster, the president emphasized how pleased he was to work with the organizations. “On behalf of the country, I thank Kimse Yok Mu and the Nile Organization very much,” he said.
I would rather get shot than starve
A 20-year-old woman, Khalima, walked the dangerous distance to the aid camp in Mogadishu in two days. The young mother told Kimse Yok Mu officials that when she started her journey she thought she would rather get shot dead on the unsafe roads of Somalia than die of hunger.Khalima explained her tragic story to Kimse Yok Mu officials as well. “I have two children, and the elder one is sick. I have no food or medicine to give him. If I get the opportunity to get some aid from here, it would probably help him to live a little longer.” said the young mother.
Source: www.todayszaman.com
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