These images show, amidst the destitution and squalor found in refugee and aid camps for Somalis in northeastern Kenya, moments of dignity. They are images of resilience. Images of a people who refuse to give up.
All of these images, save one, were taken for Al Jazeera by Azad Essa. I recommend viewing all of them. Most of these images come from Dadaab, of which he writes:
Dadaab may be bursting at the seams - a stark example of natural disaster and human failure - but it is also the site of innovation, agency and entrepreneurialism. The resilience and dignity of those in the most precarious of positions - victims of drought, civil war and poor governance - offer an alternative to the often simplified images of desperation that flash across our television screens and further compound the international weariness over the crisis.
These are images you largely won't see in the media, and images that are just as important to see as those showing the devastating effects of the famine.
Bright colors and a smile stand in contrast to the destitution that surrounds.
Children give Azad Essa a "taste of his own medicine."
Neighbors build a traditional "pastoralist hut," called a tukuls, for new refugees "who are often stranded without access to UNHCR tents on the outskirts of the Dagahaley camp. These are made from branches, twigs and dry grass."
"Amid the squalor, entrepreneurs find innovative ways to provide a service and run a small business. Here, donkey carts are used to transport goods and food and even function as a taxi service inside the 50 square kilometre camp."
Those who are curious often approach Azad, interested in his interest in them. Many are children. According to the U.N., approximately 80% of refugees from Somalia are women and children.
Seven-year-old Fartun Hassan smiles shyly after hanging a cloth she had just washed on a tree at a Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in Dadaab [Roberto Schmidt/AFP]
Somali refugees, attempting to create commerce, set up shops that cater to business people who are bused in from Nairobi.
A child dependent upon resources provided by the international community as nature and politicians fail her.
DONATE
• The World Food Programme: Fill the Cup: (THE WFP needs $200 million just to meet this year's needs in the
Horn of Africa.) (NOTE: here is the WFP U.S. link.)
• Care International (Here is the U.S. link for Care.)
• MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES
• UNICEF: Donate to Save Children in Horn of Africa Crisis
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: #foodcrisis #HornofAfrica #drought
Facebook: Horn of Africa
MAPSOURCING
Regional Drought Response Plan: East Africa Droughts.
RESOURCES
• BBC: What you Need to Know
• Al Jazeera Horn of Africa(English)
• AlertNet Q&A: How Bad is the Horn of Africa Drought
• PhotoEssay: 7/11 PBS Newshour
• Images/Maps Guardian Interactive Horn of Africa Drought Map
• Why doesn't a drought go away when it rains?
• Oxfam:Food crisis in Wajir, Kenya