Somali Refugees: Iftin’s story

Joanne Offer/The IRC

During Secretary of State Clinton's visit to Africa this week, Joanne Offer is telling the stories of Somali refugees who are facing hard times in an overcrowded camp in Kenya. Eighteen-year-old Iftin Mohamed dropped out of school when she was just ten or eleven. (Although school is free, families say they have to provide materials like notebooks and pens.) Iftin now has a ten-month old daughter, Magal, who’s been struggling to get over an infection. Iftin says daily life in Dadaab for a mother isn’t easy: “The food is not enough here in the camp and sometimes there’s a long line for water. It’s okay now because it’s rainy season but in the dry season there’s rationing. At that time, you can go and line up in the morning and you don’t leave until the afternoon.” Iftin is enrolled on the IRC’s feeding program for pregnant women and lactating mothers. The nutritious food supplements she receives keep her and her baby healthy. The IRC currently helps around 2,000 women with these food supplements, plus oil and sugar. See all of Joanne's posts about Somali refugees in Kenya here