, Somalia, September 1 (UNHCR) – When Khadra's* husband fell sick, she became the sole breadwinner in her family. As an internally displaced person (IDP) who fled Mogadishu a year ago, work opportunities were few and she had to resort to the risky occupation of collecting firewood.
"I had to walk 10 kilometres out of town every day with my two young daughters. We would collect firewood and sell it for 30,000 Somali shillings (about $US1)," she told UNHCR in Baidoa, some 230 kilometres north-west of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, adding that this income was not enough to provide for the family.
The job also put Khadra and her daughters in considerable danger. "I was chased once by several armed men. That time we were able to escape, but at other times some of my friends were raped," she said. Khadra decided it was not worth risking her life and started to look for less dangerous, but even less lucrative menial work.
Her dilemma is one shared by thousands of other displaced women in Somalia, who must struggle to find a livelihood – cleaning clothes, collecting waste and even prostitution in some cases – simply to keep themselves and their dependents alive. Many continue to take the risk of collecting wood.
But amid the misery and the bleak political situation in Somalia, where fighting last year between the government and rebel fighters forced some 850,000 people to flee their homes in Mogadishu, the UN refugee agency and its local and international partners have been running projects that help breadwinners like Khadra to earn a living without risking their lives or being exploited.
UNHCR grants have been given to a small number of women in Baidoa and in areas closer to Mogadishu to help them start micro-businesses, such as selling fruit or vegetables. As they no longer have to beg or suffer exploitation, they feel their dignity has been restored and they start to believe in a better future.
"Since I no longer have to collect firewood, I feel more secure and, more importantly, I no longer fear for my two daughters," said Khadra, now a petty trader thanks to the grant she received in a project being implemented for UNHCR by the Bay Women's Development Network, a Somali aid agency. "I am less worried now, because I will be able to provide for my children, including the baby I am expecting," she added.
UNHCR plans to expand such "protection through livelihoods" programmes, with more emphasis on participation of the women themselves. They will be able to advise on the kinds of small businesses they wish to start, and help to establish mechanisms for reporting any risk of abuse.
But for the time being, most displaced women will continue to risk their health and safety doing dangerous and back-breaking labour. "I have felt sick ever since I began collecting garbage," said another displaced Somali, Hoda,* who has to store the waste outside her meagre shelter. Her youngest child has also become ill.
Source: UNHCR, Sept 01, 2008
AFP) — Muslims around the world this week begin the fasting and feasting month of Ramadan amid hopes of violence easing in some of the Islamic world's conflict hotspots but hit hard by rising food prices.
The start of the ninth and holiest month in the Muslim calendar is determined by the sighting of the new moon, which means Muslims in various countries begin Ramadan at dawn either on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.
Followers are required to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn to dusk -- and ideally violence -- during the lunar month while gorging on sunset "iftar" meals rendered difficult for many by the global food crisis.
Pakistan marked Ramadan by halting a major military campaign against Taliban rebels on its border with Afghanistan, launched after intense pressure from Western nations.
Taliban militants freed six Pakistani soldiers of the 30 they are holding after they drew lots, with the insurgents pledging not to attack others in a "goodwill gesture."
But in Somalia Islamist militia commander Yusuf Mohamed Siad told reporters that his fighters will intensify attacks against government and Ethiopian forces.
"We will double our attacks against the Ethiopians and their Somali government stooges even during the month of Ramadan until we root out the enemy of Allah from the country," he said.
The start of Ramadan in Iraq saw the US military hand over security control of Anbar, once the most explosive battlefield in Iraq, to local forces.
In the Philippines, where government troops have been engaged in heavy fighting against Muslim rebels in the south, commanders will make "tactical adjustments" because of Ramadan, an official said.
"We are not pursuing the entire MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) or the Muslim civilian population," armed forces chief of staff General Alexander Yano said on Monday.
Ramadan in Lebanon comes after a break in the country's long-running political -- and sporadic military -- strife which allowed for a relatively good tourist season over the summer.
But soaring food prices have left many Lebanese worried about making ends meet, with charities working to provide low-income families with food to survive the month.
Gulf governments enjoying windfalls from high crude prices and high-profile companies are keen to be seen to be sharing some of their wealth with the less fortunate, splashing out on free iftars for the poor.
With inflation running in double digits in many Muslim nations, governments have been trying to ensure an adequate supply of staples in order to prevent retailers from taking advantage of Ramadan to raise prices.
Many governments have warned they would close food outlets found raising their prices.
Jordan meanwhile reduced prices of fuel by around six percent to help cashed-strapped citizens cope with soaring prices, which more than doubled since last year.
In the impoverished Gaza Strip, Muslims braced for another holiday under a crippling blockade, with Israel having sealed off the territory from all but basic goods since the Islamist Hamas seized power in June 2007.
"Ramadan this year is like any other month, because you don't see any of the things that make it special," said father of four Mohammed Abu Sultan while shopping for decorative lanterns.
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, who holds the current presidency of the Islamic Conference Organisation, urged Muslims to pray for an end to famine, particularly in parched regions of Africa.
In Iran, where Ramadan is likely to start Ramadan on Tuesday, the police warned it will crack down on people violating a ban on eating and drinking in public.
For many Muslims, Ramadan also means spending time with friends and family watching lavish television productions filmed for the occasion.
However, the Egyptian Gazette quoted one man as being "shocked that state-run and privately owned studios wasted 500 million Egyptian pounds (93 million dollars) on producing TV soap operas to be show in Ramadan."
"They did not spend a small fraction of this huge amount of money on helping the poor enjoy a decent meal during this holy month."
Cairo shopper Siham says that Ramadan isn't what it used to be.
"Everything has become too expensive," she said. "I used to buy things without really counting because Ramadan is a feast, but now I have to carefully calculate everything I spend."
Turkish Muslims meanwhile resolved a debate about whether they could resort to appetite suppressing diet patches to get through the daily fast after theologists reassured them they have nothing to worry about.
The patches, cannot be considered as corrupting the fast because their effect amounts to "showering or applying a pomade on the skin" rather than eating, theology professor Kerim Yavuz said.
Source: AFP, Sept 01, 2008
Monday, September 01, 2008
BAIDOA, Somalia (AFP) — Somalia's Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein survived a no-confidence vote on Monday after he received a majority backing from lawmakers.
Only seven of the 200 MPs present in parliament voted to oust Hussein, who had been accused by some lawmakers of embezzling state funds, parliament speaker Aden Mohamed Nur announced. Two members abstained.
But lawmaker Ali Abdullahi Osoble, who campaigned for Hassan's removal, said the procedure was flawed because MPs were not allowed to contribute to the motion before voting.
"The whole plan was in favour of the Hussein government," he said.
Since it was created in 2004, Somalia's internationally-backed transitional federal government has been plagued by internecine squabbling.
Hussein and President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed last week signed an agreement to end months of infighting that undermined the fragile interim government, but they were jeered in parliament as they attempted to outline its details.
Conflict in Somalia and power struggles that erupted after the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre have scuppered numerous initiatives to restore national stability.
