Because the camp has been around for so long, the people have had time to build proper homes. However, the concessions are a melange of the tents and plastic sheeting the refugees were given 5 years ago, when they first arrived in Chad, and more traditional mud structures. In many ways, the camp looks like a normal - if large and over crowded - village. Everything is too close together, but just about everyone has a nice home (by the standards of the area) and enough to eat.
One week of every month is a "distribution" week. This is when the refugees get their rations of wheat, soap, oil and even candy. During distribution week, women (who make up 90% of the adult population of the camp) go to the distribution center early in the morning, and often wait there until after 5pm to get their rations. This means that there are tons of women and children around the distribution center - which is right near the market - and also that there are tons of donkeys present to carry the months worth of food back home. These two donkeys were having some sort of disagreement, which resulted in much braying and biting.One of the biggest jobs that women and young
girls in the camp have is gathering fire wood. A long walk outside of camp walls is required for women to get to a place where wood is available. Anytime a woman leaves the camp without escort, she is in danger. And indeed, due to the rising number of women who faced violence on their wood-gathering trips, an NGO active in the camp organized trucks to go out with the women to deter would-be assailants. Unfortunately, what they are able to bring back to camp during these protected journeys is not sufficient to meet the needs of the women. So, women still must go out and gather wood, risking their lives and their reputations in order to be able to provide for their families.
3 comments:
I was wondering about the donkeys. Do they belong to the individual families or to the camp? Are there women who don't have donkeys so they have to carry their supplies back themselves? Do they offer food for the donkeys, too? Donkeys can be kind of ornery and noisy. In Ecuador they call them horarios because they bray every hour. I timed the one that lived next to me and he really did sound off every 60 minutes...give or take 5 minutes.
The donkeys belong to individual families. Although most livestock died when the refugees first arrived in Chad, the supplies of donkeys, chickens and goats have since been replenished. Though, I couldn't say for sure, I would guess that most families own at least one donkey. If not they must hire a cart with a donkey to bring the sacs of grain back for them.
I have heard before that donkeys announce the hour - they say that in Cameroon. And it may be true that each donkey really only brays once every hour or so - but the ones here in Chad all seem to have different internal time clocks - so you can hear a donkey braying at just about any time of day or night.
these pics a really great!! can you show me how to put them in my blog?
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