"When I was a young child, I contracted measles but survived. It however left me with a lasting impression. I was born in a village in eastern Sanaag. We were a family of 5, my 2 siblings and my parents. When I was a couple of months old, there was a measle outbreak in the village. Unfortunately, there was no health facility in the village or a health specialist. My mother, I and my 2 other siblings contracted the disease. Usually, there are some traditional practices that Somalis use but can, unfortunately, make it much worse. For instance, we were brought to a room that was hot and where a supply of oxygen was limited, which made things much worse. Sometimes we were given particular animal fat but that made matters worse. My mother and I survived but my 2 siblings sadly passed away. A couple of years later, my mother who was heavily pregnant developed hypertension (high blood pressure). Again, there were no doctors in sight. Although I was small, I still remember specific episodes that haven't left my memory. The situation was so severe that I remember seeing my neighbours and family visiting our home. They tried everything possible to help my mother. They were so worried. Their hearts were in the right place but they were powerless. My mother reached a point where the pain was unbearable and fell into periods of comatose. I remember seeing her shake a lot; it was extremely scary. They thought she was possed so brought her a wadaad who recited Qur’an over her. It reached a point where she started shaking madly, and it took a whole village to calm her down. There was so much noise that day. If they only knew that a person in that state requires absolute silence, reduced light in the room and place them on their left side so that some of the symptoms are alleviated, and the most important thing: visit a health facility as soon as possible. Unfortunately, my mother didn't immediately receive the care she required, and I don't blame the village for the knowledge wasn't there. They forced me outside the house and I remember crying a lot and refusing to go to the neighbours. In the end, my mother was brought to a nearby town called Erigabo where she survived. Unfortunately my unborn sibling died. The family decided in the end to leave the village and move to Erigabo. I finished my secondary education in Erigabo and moved to Hargeisa and became a nurse after finishing studies in Hargeisa. I had a good job, working in a children's hospital. However, my mind was not at rest for Hargeisa is a big city full of skilled health specialists. I started thinking about the numerous women and children who live in remote villages and have no access to health facilities. I resigned from my work and moved to Sanaag and became a team leader for a mobile medical team. We started providing help to children affected with measles in villages. I started seeing how some of these children were still being treated using traditional practices that do not work so we gave some of the villagers medical training that they can administer. We started teaching mothers practical skills on how to help their children or diagnose them if they are no health facilities nearby. Even though it's quite hard working in the rural area, I'm happy and emotionally connected for I've experienced the same stuff that they are going through. They deserve the best."
(Erigabo)
"Markii aan ilmaha yar ahaa waxaa igu dhacay jadeeco, alxamdullilah waan ka ladnaaday, hase yeeshe waxa igaga tagtay wax aanan ilaawayn. Waxana ku dhashay tuulo ku taala gobolka Sanaag gaar ahaan dhanka bariga qoyskayaga waxaan ahayn 3 caruur ah, hooyo iyo Aabbe. Anigoo oo dhowr bilaad jira ayaa waxaa deegaankii ka qaraxday xanuunka jadeecada. Tuuladana kama jirin goob caafimaad xataa mu joogin qof xirfad caafimaad leh waxaa jadeecadii ku dhacday 3-dayadii caruurta ahayn iyo hooyaday waxaanu gaadhanay dhamaantayo heer aad u xun oo jadeecadu sababtay maadama oo aanan helin dawayntii iyo adeegyadii caafimaad ee aanu u baahnayn. Isla markaa waxaa jireen waxyaabo ay Soomaalidu dhaqan u leedahay inay is ku daweeyaan oo naloo samayn jiray dhamaantoodna ah kuwa ug sii dara qofka xaaladaan ku jira sida in qof la dedo oo meel huur ah la geliyo hawadan laga qariyo taasina waa hab aad u xun oo qofka ama ilmaha jadeecadu hayso waxa kowaad ee uu u dhiman karo ayaa ah xumad marka lasii huuriyo isga oo xumadoonayana xaaladii waa lasii xumeeyey. Mararka qaar subag oo kale nala cabsiin jiray si naloo caawiyo taasina caafimaad ahaan waa arin kale oo ugasii daraysa xaalada ilmaha ama qofka xanuunkani ku dhacay. Wakhtigaa jadeecadii nagu dhacday waxaa u geeriyooday 2-dii walaalday ahaa nasiib wanaag waxaa ka badbaaday aniga iyo hooyaday Alxamdullilah. Isla dhowr sano uun ka dib anagoo goobtii weli degan ayaa hooyaday xanuunsatay iyada oo markaas uur lahayd waxaana ku dhacay dhiig karka nooca uur ka la xidhiidha markaasna goob caafimaad iyo shaqaale caafimaad midna kama jirin. Xiligan anigu ilaa 5-6 sano ayaan jiray wax badan kama xasuusan karayo xaaaladii hooyo markaas ay ku suganayd laakiin waxa jira waxyaalo maskaxdayda raad ku sameeyey oon iloobi kari waayey waxaa xaafada so buux dhaafiyey dadkii aan jaarka ahayn iyo qaar aan family ahayn dhamaantood waxay isku dayayen inay hooyo caawiyaan ama naxariis u muujiyaan laakiin weli dhamaan waxyaalaha la samynayey waxay ahaayeen kuwo uga sii darayey xaalada hooyo markaa ku suganeyd. Hooyo waxay gaadhay heerka ugu xuna ee xanuunkani dumarka uur ka leh gaadhsiin karo sida inuu qofku gariir sameeyo ama koomo galo waxaa hooyo xanuunkeeda loo maleyey inuu jin iyo wax la mid uu yahay waxaan loogu yeedhay nin wadaad ah si uu Qur’aan ugu akhriyo way gariiraysay deedna waa la qabqabanaayey dad badan ayaa la joogay meesha buuq badan ayaa ka jiray, Qofka markuu sidaan noqdo waxaa lagu caawin karaa in jabaqda ama sanqadha laga yareeyo xataa iftiinka laga xidho in bidixda loo jiifiyo si loo caawiyo qulqulka dhiiga iyo in si dhakhso ah loo gaadhsiiyo goob caafimaad waa waxyaalo aad u fudud oo qofka lagu caawin karo xataa adigoon dawooyin iyo qalab caafimaad haysan laakiin nassib daro hooyaday xiligaas intaasna maysan helin waayo aqoonta dadka ayaa aad u yarayd. Aniga dibada ayaa la iiga saarayey kolba laakiin maan fogaanayn si aan hooyo xaaladeeda wax uga ogaado waan diidayey in xaafado kale la i geeyo mararka qaar waan ooyayey.Waxaa hooyo loo qaaday Ceerigaabo oo dhakhtar ayaa la dhigay nasiib wanaag way badbaaaday laakiin ilmihii wuu dhintay xiligaas reerkaygii waxay u wareegeen Ceerigaabo. Dugsigaygi sare waxaan ku dhamaystay Ceerigaabo, kadib waxaan usoo guuray Hargeysa, waxaan noqday lalkaaliso caafimaad kadib markaan dhamaystay waxbarashadaydi, waxaan haystay shaqo wacan, waxaan ka shaqayn jiray dhakhtarka caruurta. Si kastaba ha noqoto’e niyadaydu kuma qanacsanyn in aan ku dego Hargeysa sababtoo ah waa magaalo wayn oo ka buuxaan dhakhaatiir kala duwan. Waxaan bilaabay in aan ka fakaro haweenka iyo caruurta ku nool dhulka fog ee miyiga, hadana aan haysan xarummo caafimaad, shaqadaydi waan ka tagay waxaan dib ugu noqoday Sanaag, kadib waxaan noqday hogaamiye koox caafimaad oo wareegta. Waxaan bilownay in aan caawino caruurta kunool tuulooyinka ay ku dhacday xanuunka jadeecadu, kadib waxaan arkay sida ilaa maanta loogu daweeyo caruurta hab dhaqameedkii aynu isticmaali jiray wakhtiyo hore lakiin aan waxba u tarayn caafimaadka ilmaha yar. Markaas waxaanu siinay kooxo ka socda tuulooyinka tababaro caafimaad Waxaanu bilownay in aan tababaro siino hooyooyinka si ay u caawiyaan caruurtooda hadii ayna u dhawayn xarummo caafimaad. Inkastoo ay adagtahay in laga shaqeeyo dhulka miyiga ah, hadana waan ku faraxsanahay in aan ka shaqeeyo, waxaan ka fa’iiday waayo aragnimo xaalada ay kujiraan ah, waxay mudanyihiin waxkasta oo wacan in loo sameeyo."
(Ceerigaabo)
