From Loss to Resilience

Hawa Abdiladif Adan and her husband were pastoralists in Gurban, fifteen kilometres from Diinsoor, and depended entirely on their livestock. In 2021 a severe drought wiped out every animal and left the family with no income at all.

“We lost all our livestock in the drought, and in a very short time everything we had was gone. Our way of life ended, and we had no choice but to leave our home and start again somewhere else.”

Hawa Abdiladif Adan

They moved to Shimbirole East in Bardhere district, where Hawa rejoined her mother and siblings. The family relied on relatives for basic needs and struggled to rebuild. In 2023 she became a participant in BRCiS III, and the direction of the household changed.

An anchor community

Shimbirole East has been one of the programme's anchor communities, receiving integrated support across several sectors at once: water treatment systems and multiple water points serving both households and farms, Self-Help Groups, support to household-level farming, community-owned storage, and fodder production training for agro-pastoral livelihoods.

Hawa joined a Self-Help Group, one of twenty women trained in savings, financial literacy and group management. Through the group she received a grant and could access small loans, which let her start income-generating activities and steady the household economy.

“When my family in Shimbirole East called me back, they gave me hope. With the support from the project, I did not just survive — I started learning, working, and rebuilding my life step by step.”

Hawa Abdiladif Adan

She also became a member of a female farmers' cooperative. With help from her brother she accessed a small plot, and through the programme received seed, tools, irrigation fuel and tractor services for land preparation. Training followed in Resilience Design, permagardening, climate-smart agriculture, agroecology and fodder production — practical skills in soil management and efficient water use that matter most in a drought-prone environment.

Rebuilding both livelihoods

Cash-for-work activities gave Hawa income to meet immediate needs while contributing to community assets. She reinvested part of it, together with loans from her Self-Help Group, back into her livelihood. She and her husband have since rebuilt part of their pastoral base and own a small number of cows again — something she is quick to say was made possible by her own effort as much as by the opportunity.

“Before, I only knew livestock, but now I have skills in farming and understand how to work with the land even during difficult seasons. Today, I can support my family with confidence and plan for a better future.”

Hawa Abdiladif Adan

“This project has truly changed our family. My wife is now skilled, active, and confident. Together, we are no longer depending on others — we are working, producing, and rebuilding our future with dignity.”

Hawa's husband