Hello,

A few pictures below from the trip I took to the Horn over the last two weeks. I spend 5 days in Addis at a conference where a lot of networking took place between organisations and countries.

Then I moved on with 2 friends/colleagues to the neighbouring country which has its capital city as Hargeisa. A small country that had fought so hard to keep stability over the last 20 years whereas its bigger neighbour has sunk deep into anarchy and still has not made it out the utter destruction it plunged into after the ousting of their former dictator.

Hargeisa was almost completely destroyed in the late 80's and early 90's. There was only a few thousand people left in the city and almost every house of the city was demolished through the relentless bombing raids Siyaad Barres forces carried out during those years. 

In light of what had happened it is quite remarkable how well the city is rebuild and how life is going on now. Many of the Diaspora Somalis have now returned either for good or just for  a visit and maybe considering whether they should come back and help this young and ambitious nation to stand strong among the nations of this world.

Still lots and lots of things need to be done but there are these signs of hope: there is Edna Aden, who build a Maternity Hospital just about 10 years ago. She is training doctors and midwives, nurses so that the local people can take care of their own. Here is a link to Ednas website: http://www.ednahospital.org/

There are young, ambitious doctors, locally trained, who are not trying to run away to some western country. There are those who were raised in the west and have a longing to be back home and add their skills and worldview to a very traditional way of doing things. There are tensions, but there is also a lot of hope.

Just as I came back to Kenya I got a hold of the book, The insanity of God http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9wfToGXbcs

Nik Ripken describes his journey to Hargeisa and Mogadishu around 1992 to find utter destruction and despair in both places. He tells the tales of starvation and indiscriminate killings and total loss of hope. He went in very early on to bring relief and try to do something in a hopeless situation.

The place we now saw was nicely rebuild and things are working fairly well according to the standards in the region. But the other place further south, Mogadishu, is still one of the most dangerous places in the world.

From our Hospital here in Kenya we have regular teams going into Hargeisa and they have great impact when they do their teachings at the university or perform complicated surgeries. God has indeed been gracious to this young nation to give it peace and government that allows its citizens to have enough protection to go about their daily business.

It still feels interesting when you have to have armed guards protecting you almost everywhere you go. It gives a sense that not all is back to normal yet, but the government is trying its best to keep its visitors safe.

Pray for Somalia and Somaliland

From the rooftop at Edna Maternity Hospital Hargeisa

Edna Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa, build around 2004, after  the destruction during the war

was able to visit family of patients who are at Kijabe Hospital at the moment

the mosque nearby the refugee camp Mohamed Moge in Hargeisa

the skyline of Hargeisa as seen from the place where I was staying