Adjustment to life in Hargeisa: lessons learned

This is my second post about my internship in Somaliland. It has been difficult adjusting to life in Hargeisa. My close friends have moved out of Somaliland. Establishing social network has been difficult. Because of time constraints, and expectation from returnees like me, local people look at the diaspora under different light. People here expect more from guys like me. Secondly, business operations and work hours slow down in Hargeisa, Somalia (Somaliland), to stillness because of Ramadan. Before Ramadan (fasting month) all government agencies work from 8am-12pm. Only some major private businesses like the money transfer business and telecommunication return to work between 3:30-5:30pm. And most senior people in companies and ministries in the government take their yearly vacation during Ramadan. With Ramadan, people even work less per day. This has impacted my schedule in a major way. I have to do my interviews and meet people between 9am-12pm. Also I have to teach my class during that time. People in Hargeisa work less comparing to United States. So, that has been one of my main frustrations working in Hargeisa. for the last two, most people are in vacation because of the end of the month of Ramdan and the upcoming Eid celebrations.

My internship with Abaarso Tech University has not been going well. I am still teaching my course (introduction to web development), but I will be working on a different project/internship in Hargeisa. Currently, I am evaluating emergency diseases surveillance strategies in Somaliland Ministry of Health. And how health reporting data and information gathering could be improved using mobile technologies and crowdsourcing.  I am excited to work on this project because I contribute some design ideas to come with solution to overcome data reporting and gathering. My initial meeting with the head of health Information systems, Mr. Abdilahi, was informative and it exposed me to difficulties his team faces to connect with regional offices in remote areas. Currently, community clinics and health outposts use hardcopy reporting (hand written forms) to regional health authority in six main districts. Regional districts report to Abdilahi’s office at the Ministry of Health using Excel forms via email. Also main regional offices report daily major incident and observation of the previous day to “central health information system” using voice system. Abdilahi complained this system is time consuming and impractical to use to gather accurate data.

My time in Hargeisa has not been easy. Beside my work, I have spent a lot time to meet and reconnect distant family and friends. As expected in developing countries, people ask for money because I have been gone for a while in the United States. This has caused pressure for me. Some family members have even went as far to question why I went into low paying job field in media or journalism; why could not I pursue career in Engineer or medicine. It is uneasy and sometimes enlightening feeling living between countries and cultures.

My project working with the Somaliland government to increase interaction with the public using phone feedback system has been going slowly. There are different stakeholders I need to consult and inform about my project, including high officials in the Somaliland and important Somaliland journalists. Besides overcoming technological difficulties. There are times when I question myself, and the purpose of my project. Is it needed in Somaliland or is it one of these cool attractive, techy solutions to fix complicated issues. It is true people need to have direct access information about the government, especially in far away regions. However, ila Maqal application is advance and sometimes difficult to explain to people. People are busy with their daily and introduction this new form of technology might not be noticed. The adaption of the product has been slow. Mainly young and the educated class have been using the most.

For the last two months, I have not had chance to explore the city and the countryside. The capital city has developed so much in a short time. Private sector is thriving. Young expatriates are returning to open small and medium size businesses. But Somaliland has a long a way to go. Still there are not quality education, healthcare or primary infrastructures. Somaliland almost resembles the Western Frontier of early America. Because of weak state, local businessmen charge higher prices for low quality items. There are no standards and regulations in most industries in the country. One scary statistic I came across that illustrates how unregulated Somalilnad is there about 779 pharmacies in the country, and there are about 9 certified pharmacists. 779 is under estimate in my opinion. Pharmacies are on every corner in Hargeisa. One does not need a license to open a pharmacy. People buy prescribed medicine over the counter. Although Somaliland weak regulation has sparked innovation and created vibrant local market, there is a need for regulation and capacity to enforce the law.