In need of spiritual help

Shihab Babiker describes how Islamic Relief works in partnership with CAFOD to provide vital necessities to refugees, but also explains why rebuilding shattered trust is so important

With its Muslim counterpart CAFOD delivers food and clean water once a month, as well as soap, cooking pots and mosquito nets to around 1,100 families, assisting more than 7,500 people who are living at the Hawa Abdi camp.

But such vital work comes with dangerous challenges. A recent food distribution supported by CAFOD to the camp was marred and almost derailed by an attempted highjack.

Shihab Babiker, originally from Sudan, is the programme manager for Islamic Relief’s Somalia Office, and sadly reflects on the situation.

Lost trust

He says: “Somalians are very affected psychologically by the traumatic experiences in this period. When I talk to people, they don’t cry anymore, but you can see in their eyes the sensitivity.

"People have lost trust in everything because of what they have faced.”

“What aid agencies are providing is life-saving food and water, but the Somali people are also in need of spiritual help, a chance for them to make their lives normal, to have trust in life again.”

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