PUNTLAND PEOPLES - Support for 8 Community Projects

WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURIAL PROJECTS

As you drive through the tiny roadside community of Aw-Barkatle, a village in the Puntland State of Somalia, you see a colorful collage of textiles and metal scraps rapidly flash before you, but if you just stop and look closer, you will find a beautifully cohesive community, rich in personality. The variety of hues in the building materials which at first caught my eye, are a necessity from past wars, famine and destruction caused by others. The collage of materials builds were their houses.  Aw-Barkatle is filled with laughter, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of truly happy people. There is a tightly knitted village which cherish community, friendship and family. I was amazed by the respectful nature of how well the women were appreciated and treated in the village as well. In today’s world where consumerism reigns, the beauty of their happiness, fulfillment and the simplicity of life is refreshing. Over the past twenty years, due to multiple wars and famine, there have been roughly four million Somalis either displaced or in need of emergency food aid, yet despite this hardship, we found happiness.

The Inti Raymi Fund visited this community extensively over the period of a week, getting to know them better. As we offered assistance with the Dignity and Respect they so deserve, this village was surprisingly organized and candid with their needs. Below is a brief summary of the Puntland Project:

WHAT THE INTI RAYMI FUND DID

The Inti Raymi Fund provided financial support for a democratically elected group of eight teams within the small village of Aw-Barkatle, Somalia. We asked them "What do you need?" and “How can we Help?” The community assembled into project teams segregated by their specific requests and projects. Each group presented their project and budget for implementation. We helped them organize, prioritize and budget their special projects. Each team selected an elder from within each team who would/could be trusted to guard the money for each community's team project after distribution. In seven of the eight teams, a women was the security point person. The only male selected was the young school teacher, who everyone knew and trusted. We then distributed of the funds to each point person representing each team in full view of everyone in the village for transparency. The Inti Raymi Fund’s $25,000 community support was distributed evenly, $3,125 per project, for the following eight projects:

• A computer lab for the school

• Meat processing equipment for safe consumption and resale

• Sewing machinery and materials for entrepreneurial purposes

• Water collection equipment for community use in safe drinking and irrigation

• Food and cooking equipment for community and business use

• Equipment for wholesale fabric making

• Farming equipment and tools

• First aid facility and equipment

This was a very successful and satisfying venture for the Inti Raymi Fund.