Abdirahman Ali Arab, 28, a former pastoralist in Mudug, took up a job as a waiter in a hotel in December and is happy to earn $170 a month, providing a decent living for his wife and four children.

“I earn important income that has improved my life and that of my children,” he told Radio Ergo.

“We get all three meals and the children also get to study, whereas previously they would get just little food in the morning and the evening,” he said.

Abdirahman was once a proud pastoralist, owning 150 goats in the rural area of Hero-dhagahley, 60 kilometres northwest of Hobyo. However, only 25 emaciated goats in his herd have survived the drought.

“When the livestock died, we moved to the town, and we reached out to our relatives to help us, and they did. People understand the situation of families migrating from the rural outskirts. There are better living conditions in the town areas and also jobs,” he said.

The Hero-Dayah Hotel opened last September and offered all new staff two months training before starting work in December.

“I went to the employer and explained to him that I was displaced from the rural areas and I have children who need food and education and I requested to get a job – he agreed,” he added.

Abdirahman has now enrolled his four children is Koranic school paying $44 for their education. Although he still holds on to his remaining goats, he is mostly focused on his job at the restaurant.

The hotel hired 25 people as waiters, cooks, cleaners, and security personnel.

Mohamed Khalif Salad is now a cook in the same hotel earning between $100-$190 a month. He had spent three years cutting firewood, earning a miserable income.

“I never thought I would find a job and start earning regular wages. If I continue working here I will hopefully improve my life more,” he said.

He has managed to put his eight-year-old son back in school after dropping out, as he can now afford the $23 monthly fees.

After injuring himself with an axe and unable to work for a few months, Mohamed built up a $700 debt on food from local shops. He has paid off $150 since he started working at the hotel.

One of the investors in Hero-Dayah Hotel, Abdalle Mohamed Ali, said as a profit-making business they have been happy to give jobs to destitute families. The owners have received much positive feedback from their employees whose lives have been transformed.

Hero-Dhagahley, located between Hobyo and Galkayo, is inhabited by around 2,000 mostly pastoralist families.

Source: Radio Ergo