Flying to unknown and returning with known gratification
By Johana Kipkoech
I woke up at 4AM to prepare for this long awaited day. My airport pick and the plane’s departure were also on time. My destination was still in my mind vague since I had not bothered to check on Google Earth, as I am accustomed to, to understand the environment in which I was visiting. In a way, this was a journey of faith.
As the plane pierced the clouds, I relaxed and focused on the beauty above the clouds. The clouds below were well woven together and looked like white foam formed out of a washing detergent. Forty thousand feet above the ground was no comparison to my earlier flights.
When the plane started descending below the clouds, I was amazed by what my eyes encountered. A long beautiful beach with a strip of white sand that divided land from the ocean. And as the plane lowered further, the beach became even clearer with less activity but full of glamour. The beaches I had visited before were clattered with all colours and human activities beyond imagination or so they seemed from the normal eye view.
Soon we landed Mogadishu where we had a brief stop over and were cleared to board another plane and headed to our final destination.
We boarded a smaller plane than we had flown in. I braced myself to experience wobbling and unstable effects that are typical of small planes. The plane, though small steadily pierced through the clouds beyond my expectation then stabilized all throughout our trip save for a little rumbling sound that somehow deafened my ears. Although, I had also strategically selected a seat very closer to the pilot and co-pilot which gave me an opportunity to watch every move they made and studied each button their fingers touched. It is amazing the confidence and ease they had.
Shrubs and familiar temporary shelters become my scenery when the pilot engaged our descent that was rapid but steady. I suddenly moved my relaxed hands and took a tight grip on the frames of the seat. I thought that we were crash landing. I found it easy to say my final prayers in my heart though no one in the plane seemed nervous not even the pilot. We were descending fast. The dust that covered the field was no match to the cruising Toyota four by four on murram roads that I was used to. The last roar of the plane brought it to a complete halt. It turned and crawled close to a tin house well secured by full gear military. We were here! In Dolow, Somalia.
I was picked by our staff and led to our team house. I stretched my hands to pick my camera but my hands froze ready to take a few shots. “No”, an inner voice whispered to me as I remembered a security training that had taught me to listen to my conscious.
The rest of the day went by fast and we slept.
The following day, we were scheduled to visit one irrigation project. When we arrived there, I was amazed to see a huge river amidst dry land. Dolow town is privileged to have beautiful scenery of green lands intertwined with meandering rivers in the neighborhood. We visited Unzi and Surgudud villages in Dolow. I was excited; I was seeing World Vision’s work and the support from our donors live. Take of transformation from bare dry land into green land! This was one of the humbling achievements ever realized by these communities. The farm was adorned with green bananas, maize, watermelons, onions and fodder for livestock. The joy expressed by the beneficiaries is beyond doubt.
A farm chairman looked intently to the vast field turned into green and said. “We thank World Vision for providing us with this 300m canal.” he added, “I remember one time, when I tried to irrigate my farm; I lost almost eight tones of water due to poor canals. Now you can see for yourself the produce I have. Onions, maize and melons can now be produced as a result of good canals done,” he said.
My next visit was to a number of shelter projects. Dolow Township is a home to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who settled here due insecurity and lack of livelihood from the surrounding regions. The project has benefited both the host community and the IDPs. The impact on the lives of the beneficiaries is visible considering their previous vulnerable status. Listening to their testimonies, 39 years old says this project have brought change to her life. “I come from Garbahare-Gedo region. I ran away from the place because of lack of food and water. It was also insecure. Life was hard. I am happy to get this house from World Vision. I will now feel safe in my new home. The house will also be dry during the rainy season,” she says.
Time in the field tends to fly. I was soon leaving for Nairobi, Kenya. I left with a lot of inspiration and attitude of thanksgiving. Our call to reach to the most needy should continue beyond barriers and borders. The needs of the children, lactating mothers, the old and the disabled is beyond our capability. More resources are required to at least reach a third of the vulnerable. My appeal and my prayers is that one day, one time, the land will flow with milk and honey and the empty beaches will be adored with colours, splendor and beauty beyond what we can think or imagine in Somalia.