STORIES OF RESILIENCE: CLIMATE CHANGE AND LIVELIHOODS IN RED SEA STATE

MOHAMEDEEN, 12

عمري 12 سنة. أعيش مع والديّ وشقيقيّ وشقيقتيّ. في العام الماضي تدمر منزلنا بسبب الفيضانات. ما زلت أتذكر ذلك اليوم وهو يحزنني. كما دمر الفيضان محاصيلنا التي احتفظنا بها طوال العام. بعد ذلك لم يكن لدينا ما يكفي من الطعام. هذا العام ، لم تأت المياه ولم تنمُ محاصيلنا بشكل جيد. يعمل والدي مدرسًا في مدرسة دينية ، لكنه يقول إن راتبه لا يكفي لشراء الطعام الذي نحتاجه ، لأن الأسعار ارتفعت كثيرًا.

“I am 12 years old. I live with my parents, my two brothers and two sisters. Last year our house was destroyed by the floods. I still remember that day and it makes me sad. The flood also destroyed our crops that we kept for the whole year. After that, we did not have enough to eat. This year, the water did not come and our crops did not grow well. My father also works as a teacher in the religious school, but he says that his salary is not enough to buy the food we need, because prices have increased a lot.

في العام الماضي ، تلقينا معزتين من منظمة إنقاذ الطفولة ، والآن لدينا خمس معزات. يشرب جميع الأطفال حليب الماعز الذي يمدنا بالطاقة ويشعرنا بالراحة. أنا مسؤول عن إطعام الحيوانات ، لكن في بعض الأحيان لا أجد طعامًا كافيًا لها. أخشى أن نضطر إلى بيع معزة في موسم الجفاف لنشتري الطعام للآخرين. عندها سيكون لدينا كمية أقل من الحليب مرة أخرى. عندما لا أساعد والديّ ، ألعب مع أصدقائي. أنا أحب لعبة العصا، نأخذ عصا صغيرة ونقلبها في الهواء ثم نضربها لتطير إلى أقصى حد ممكن."

Last year, we received two goats from Save the Children, now we have five. All children drink the milk of the goats which gives us energy and we feel well. I am responsible for feeding the animals, but sometimes I cannot find enough food for them. I am afraid that we might have to sell one goat in the dry season to buy the food for the others ones. Then we will have less milk again. When I am not helping my parents, I play with my friends. I like is the stick game. We take a small stick and flip it up into the air and then we hit it to fly as far as possible.”

AMNA, 30

“I am 30 years old and I have four children. In the past, our life was good, but now it has become very difficult. Last year, all the grains for the year were damaged by the floods. This year, there was a lack of water and the crops did not grow well. Now the prices for grains and vegetables are very high.

In the past, everyone in my village used to work in agriculture, but people left it now because we cannot harvest enough. Sometimes, we struggle to have enough to eat. In our village, the people share what they have and help each other, but everyone is in the same situation.

My husband tried to sell charcoal in the local market, but without success. Then he went to a nearby town, but he could not find any work there. Now he is in Port Sudan, where he is selling water with a donkey cart. What he gains is very little. Sometimes he can send us a bit of money, sometimes not.

I am glad that I received assistance from Save the Children. With the money, I bought palm leaves and I am doing handicrafts for selling. It is helping us to buy the food we need. I hope that my husband can return soon and that we do not have to worry about food anymore.”