45-year-old Bashe Ahmed Bile collects water for his relatives from an Oxfam/Havyoco water pump. Qaryaale went 11 months without any rain, but unlike some of the other villages it is near a river bed – which although dry on the surface still has water in the ground and Oxfam and community wells are still functioning. However this has brought its own challenges, including an influx of people from other villages, using up the scarce pasture:

“People here have lost half of their sheep and goats in the drought. Myself, I used to have 120 animals, but now I only have 45 left.

“Before, when I took my animals to market I used to get $50 for a sheep or a goat, and up to $500 for a camel. Now the animals are so weak and in such bad condition that I cannot sell them for any money at all. I worry they will die but it’s just not possible to sell them – nobody will buy.

“All I can do is try and keep them alive, so I spend all my money on maize and fodder. To feed the animals I have to buy one 50kgs sack of maize a day – it costs me $20 every day.

“Every three days I go and collect water, which I give to my relatives and my livestock. So far the well is ok and providing us with water – it goes very deep. But I worry it will run out, and then what happens? 20 villages nearby have run out of water, so they all come here with their animals, their trucks and their jerry cans. About 300 people from other villages have moved here now.