Afgooye joint protection assessment Report-July 2012 Table of Contents i. Brief background of mission ------------------------------------------------------------------page 2 ii. Key protection concerns -----------------------------------------------------------------------pages 2-3 iii. Access / security ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------page 4 iv. Recommendations --------------------------------------------------------------------------------page 4 v. Photo annex and ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------pages 5-9 vi. Names and organizations of the assessment team -----------------------------------------pages 10 1
1. BRIEF BACKGROUND OF MISSION Afgoye is thirty kilometers far from the capital city of Mogadishu and is a very strategic town that joins many regions to the city. Afgoye district consists of three sub-districts named 21 October, Dhagahtur and Hawa-tako. The living condition of Afgoye population depends on agriculture and livestock. The district is currently hosting thousands of IDP communities affected by the armed conflict in 2012. The complexity of displacement and drought impacts on IDPs and host community in Afgoye increased the vulnerability of these people that may lead humanitarian crisis in the near future. On June 2012, INTERSOS, FENPS, WOCCA, MURDO, SSDO, KASHIF and UNHCR met in Mogadishu to discuss matters regarding the issue of IDPs in Afgoye in order to present a real picture of the scale of the needs and humanitarian gaps in the town to share with the concerned parts. The objective of the assessment was to highlight key protection concerns, investigate accessibility and security issues and to recommend the best ways could be of help to the needy people in Afgoye. Assessment Process Firstly, INTERSOS conducted observations in Afgoye before the assessment took place and prepared four volunteers in Afgoye to guide and help the assessment teams from the above mentioned organizations. INTERSOS also made pre-assessment meeting with Afgoye commissioner to inform that this team would conduct assessment job in Afgoye and the commissioner let the assessment job the way forward. Secondly, the teams from these organizations met on 30 th June 2012 at UNCC in Mogadishu and divided into four groups, each group with three persons (2 male and 1female in each group) to fulfill the assessment work in Afgoye. The four groups made the assignment on 2 nd July 2012 and the plan for the work of assessment in Afgoye was accomplished successfully. 2. KEY PROTECTION CONCERNS The assessment teams visited four IDP camps in Afgoye (ONOD, Alla-Suge, Al-Kheyrad and Lafole). They made observations on the IDPs and collected data from the settlements in these IDPs (men, women, boys and girls). The dwellers in the visited camps comprise of relocations and new IDPs. All people in these camps have different problems of protection violations and lack of livelihood requirements. 4879 people (2925 female and 1954 male) live in the visited camps in Afgoye as they reported by the camp focal points. These people do not have food, water, health care, protection, security and education. The IDPs and relocations in these camps came from Mareerey near Afgoye, Buulafulay in Bay region and Ceelasha biyaha/lafole, Afgoye corridor. Findings During the assessment in Afgoye, the assessment teams found that the populations in the visited IDP camps have different kinds of protection violations. They interviewed men, women, boys and girls in the IDPs and knew from them that they possess various problems that threaten and downgrade the dignity and life of human beings in the camps. Girls-Girls meet physical abuse and sexual harassment in the camps. They bring water on their backs from the river because the camps have not water sources. They also sometimes 2
collect fire wood outside of the town and some girls reported that they have been raped in the bush when they are collecting fire wood. Some mothers told the assessment team that they cannot stay in the camps at night with their girls because they are afraid of them being raped so they send girls to the town to sleep with families who helped them with safe rooms to stay at night. Other young girls reported that they go to other families houses with their mothers so when the mothers are washing clothes for the families, the girls do babysitting to gain money. Boys-Some boys from the families in the IDPs joined soldiers and they go military camps to get living. Some boys told the team that they prefer to join armed men because there is no other way that they could find food and other necessary elements of living. Women-Women in the visited IDPs have not only many but varied basic needs. Some are widows and sustain the living of the family alone and some live with their husbands in extreme poverty after they lost their all properties or animals in the conflicts and droughts. Some women told the assessment team that they go every day to collect fire wood outside of the town and sell in the markets or go out for begging to cover the daily needs of the families. Sometimes we return home with empty hands because we are robbed of what we receive from begging said one interviewee woman in the visited IDP camps in Afgoye. Some women told the team that they wash clothes to the families in the town to earn livelihood. These women reported that they are sometimes denied of their earnings or money by the families they worked for. Men-Most of the men sit in front of poor wooden huts in the IDPs and do nothing. They say that there is no work in the town whatsoever. I feel ashamed of begging and I cannot do difficulty odd jobs because I am an old man so I sit in this place and wait what Allah brings said an interviewee man in the visited camps. Visible problems in the visited camps in Afgoye Children, women and old people have signs of malnutrition Most of the people in the IDPs complain pains and diseases There is no WASH facilities (water, sanitation and hygiene promotion materials) in the IDPS Some IDPs are located in risky areas. For example, IDP camp in ADC, dwell under large and tall decayed pillars of former granaries that may fall any time. Lack of shelter Lack of health care facilities There is no protection awareness in the camps and surrounding areas There is no learning centers in the IDP camps and children are at risk to be used as child soldiers Men, women, boys and girls in the IDPs are lacking psycho-social support and trauma reduction skills There is no food rations and livelihood support in the camps Humanitarian Response at IDPs in Afgoye The only humanitarian response at the visited IDPs in Afgoye that had been seen by the team was a very limited plastic sheet that Agro sphere-italian NGO provided with some IDP camps in Afgoye. 3
3. ACCESS / SECURITY On Monday morning of 2 nd July 2012 the assessment team travelled from Mogadishu to Afgoye with a mini bus. When they headed Afgoye, the street between Mogadishu and Afgoye was frightening and ghost-like place. The corridor was empty of people except armed men wandering arround.tfg forces and AMISOM troops were scattered all along the road where they setup check points to check passengers and the buses plying between Mogadishu and Afgoye. Then the team reached Afgoye town safely and met with the district commissioner to explain their objectives and introduce organizations they were representing. The commissioner welcomed the team cordially and gave them green light to pursue their assignment. After that, the four volunteers from INTERSOS already in Afgoye have taken their roles to lead the teams to the planned camps to visit. Each volunteer of the four led one group and showed them the camps they were assigned to. There were many TFG soldiers in the town that sometimes were obstacle to the smooth running of the assessment teams work. But at the same time the team could manage to understand the soldiers because they were Somalis themselves. Some IDP camps are located in former government building close to the district commissioner office. The building was badly damaged by the repeated conflicts and it is about to collapse if the heavy winds hit the ruined pillars of the building. Some IDPs reside in rented places but they cannot afford to pay it. Some IDPs are in the outside of the town. These camps are not for rent but they are not safe for women and girls. Some mothers in these camps told the team that they always go close to the town at night because the security in these camps is not reliable. They say that bandits come at nights into the camps and rape girls and women. 4. RECOMMENDATIONS The assessment team recommends to all concerned parts (UN agencies, donors, national and international organizations, TFG authorities and business companies) to provide assistance of any kind, form or shape to these needy people at IDPs in Afgoye. The assessment team from INTERSOS, FENPS, WOCCA, MURDO, SSDO, KASHIF also suggests to humanitarian agencies to take emergency responsive measures to protect the dignity and the prestige of these people in order to prevent the lives of these desperately needy people from deterioration further without delay. The urgently required activities that the assessment team recommends include: Providing WASH facilities (latrines, water tanks, hygiene promotion facilities, etc) Providing temporary shelters ( plastic sheets, tents, etc) Establishing feeding centers Establishing MCH/OPD centers Establishing child friendly spaces Providing GBV awareness programs Providing psycho-social support and risk reduction program Creating job opportunities for the IDPS Capacity building awareness for host community Creating learning centers Family Tracing and Reunification program 4
5. Photo Annex Decayed pillars and ruined walls are risk to fall on these IDPs 5
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7 One of the poor hygiene places in Afgoye
These IPDs live in a drafty treeless place so they need shelters to enter hot and cold climate 8
These women in Afgoye are complaining about poverty and lack of unemployment of their husbands. Some women told the assessment team that they are widows and look for daily needs for their children. These women are requesting income generating creation for them to earn daily living for their families. 9
Assessed Place: Afgoye, Lower Shabele region- Date of Assessment 2 nd July 2012 1. Names of the organizations participated in the assessment mission: INTERSOS, FENPS, WOCCA, MURDO, SSDO, KASHIF and UNHCR 2. Names of the assessment teams and their organizations: S# Name Organization Gender 1 Mohamed Osman Adam FENPS male 2 Omar Muse Hussien MURDO male 3 Bisharo Hassan Nor SSDO female 4 Adam Mohamed Abikar MURDO male 5 Abdikadir Osman Abdulle Kaashif male 6 Amino Nor Mohamed INTER SOS female 7 Mohamed Ahmed Mayow INTERSOS male 8 Abdirahman Aweys Mohamed SSDO male 9 Farhio Mohamed Ali WOCCA female 10 Mahad Ali Osman SSDO male 11 Yususf Mohamed Mohamud WOCCA male 12 Abdullahi Ahmed Islow WOCCA Male 13 Amino Nor Mohamed INTER SOS female 3. Number of interviewees and their gender: S# Type of person interviewed Number of persons Subtotal 1 IDP camp focal points 4 (2 male and 2 female 4 2 IDPs male 16 16 3 IDPs female 16 16 Total 36 Compiled by: FENPS 10