THE HARDEST CHOICE. Fathuma and her family lost most of their camels and goats to drought and in early 2017 were forced to seek relief at a camp for the displaced in Uusugre, Puntland. Animals are among Somalis’ most important financial assets, traded for food, or used as collateral for cash for buy food. When any rural family loses key assets, or is forced to sell them off to feed themselves, they are in essence losing their future self-reliance. FAO cash payments of around $90 per month are helping vulnerable households keep themselves fed. The goal is to reach them before they liquate livelihood assets and must make the life-wrenching choice of leaving everything behind.
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