A Better Future for Children

Climate change has made pastoralist life extremely difficult in the Afar region of Ethiopia. In the settlement of Hotenmero, they hope that schooling will allow the younger generation to choose alternative livelihoods.

Hotenmero consists of little more than a few scattered wood huts, most in the traditional dome shape favoured by the inhabitants of the region. The only buildings that catch the eye of an outsider are the new health clinic, funded by UNICEF, and a dilapidated school building with gaping holes in its wooden walls and, on closer inspection, rickety benches that appear to be on the point of collapse.

Problems Everywhere: 60-year-old pastoralist, Enamea Bela, is a relatively affluent farmer: "I have one wife and 11 children aged from 8 to 40. I own 20 camels, 30 cattle and 50 sheep and goats. The environmental situation is very severe for pastoralists. It is getting hotter and hotter and rainfall is decreasing every year.

"I have to walk very long distances. I eat breakfast at 6 am, take a container of water, and have nothing else to eat before returning home in the afternoon. I walk some 25 kilometres before returning home sometime between 2 and 3 pm. "There has been a huge change over the last 20 years. There is no food, no milk; there is too much suffering. There are problems everywhere."

Belief in Education: While some of Hotenmero's residents have turned to small-time trading in the hope of escaping poverty and malnutrition, Enamea's 13-year-old son, Habahaba, attends the school that has recently opened in the area. Habahaba is enthusiastic about school: "Education is a very nice thing. My favourite subject is Amharic. It is good to learn another language. When I grow up I don't want to be a pastoralist, I want to drive a car for a living. The life of a pastoralist is not attractive. I want to live my own life."

His father endorses his son's hopes: "I am pleased about his education. An educated person can do all the things in the world. I will support my son as much as I can, but I do not have the resources to keep him at school beyond the fourth grade."

Establishing Alternative Means of Existence: The two school teachers, Aster Berhuni, 32, and Fantanesh Birudet, 30, arrived in Hotenmero a couple of years ago: "Although we have not been here very long, we have already experienced an increase in temperature and, as a result, there is also less vegetation for the animals to feed on," says Fantanesh. "People are compelled to move around with their animals to survive. Driving around in trucks in the intense heat taxes the health of the young and old, and occasionally causes the death of infants.

"Last year there was no rain for ten consecutive months; from September to June. This year we had some rain in September and October, but after that there has been no rain at all. There is no seasonal pattern any more. When rain does fall, it is erratic; it will just suddenly come. Pastoralists do not need much rain but, even if there is some, it evaporates and percolates very quickly," Fantanesh adds.

Having come from an urban environment, both teachers were shocked by the insecurity of the living conditions they encountered and are relieved that the community is working hard to establish alternative means of existence. "Most of the Muslim families in this region are pastoralists, but some are starting to irrigate land for farming," says Aster. "Farming is better than pastoralism in some areas. A mixture is good. Then they can grow fodder for their animals and at the same time improve their income. If they receive aid in the form of seeds and finance, they are very keen to change. The pastoralist lifestyle is tedious. They travel in order to find a minimum of fodder and water."

A Nomadic Lifestyle Interferes With Education: Of most interest to the teachers is their school and the effect it is having on children like Habahaba: "We are trying to teach all the students Amharic, maths, geography and English. There are three teachers and 45 children aged from 9 to 14. The effect of the education is not yet that obvious, as it has not been available for very long. We hope the education will give the children basic skills and give them the opportunity of further education, possibly university. There is hope for their future."

The teachers are concerned about the lack of equipment and facilities. Another of their concerns is nonattendance of students: "Although some in the community are not interested, the majority would like to send their children to school. One of the issues is the nomadic nature of the pastoralist lifestyle. The children will start school here, but when their parents move, the children will naturally accompany them. If there was a possibility to provide food and housing, the children could live here even if their families moved," says Aster.