Khamar Ali Aden is a young mother of three children, married at an early age—she is only 20 years-old and has been married for 5 years. Khamar’s 3 children are aged 5 years, 2 years and 1 year.
Before the 2011 drought, Khamar’s household was rich by local standards as they owned a herd of 65 camels but, by the end of the drought, all but two had died. As a result, they were no longer able to support themselves hence she moved into Masalani town. When the cash relief project started, she was identified as a beneficiary because she was in dire need of food.
When the cash was distributed, Khamar utilized the money for her basic food needs, detergents and milk and medicine for the children. “The money assisted me very much,’’ she said. “There were days I would spend sleepless nights wondering what I would give my children before the cash transfer. There were days I did not even light a fire in my house because I had nothing to cook. After the cash transfer I never slept hungry again, I became credit worthy because of the money from Adeso.”
Khamar had surgery twice in the last two years due to difficulties during childbirth. As she was not able to pay the hospital bills, the hospital administration withheld her national ID until she could clear the outstanding balance. She has used part of the cash distributed by Adeso to settle her medical bills and has thus freed herself from what could have been a debilitating debt:
“After surgery I went back home with no national ID, I couldn’t go anywhere, I feel liberated now.”
In order to ensure a sustainable livelihood, she saves Kshs 300 (USD 3.50) every month through a merry-go-round scheme (revolving fund). At the end, the group—which includes 10 other women beneficiaries of Adeso’s cash relief project—had saved Kshs 3,000 (USD 35) to start a kiosk. This kind of investment is so important for generating sustainable income once the cash payments have ended. Khamar and others have used innovative aid to create their own innovative solutions to the challenges they face, and Adeso is proud to be at the forefront of removing barriers to empowerment.
“Although the business is new and just picking up, if it were not for the cash transfer, I would not be where I am today. My business is only one month old but there are signs that it will grow. It is a new life for me,” Khamar says with a smile on her face.