by Niki Clark in Dadaab

When I told my family and friends that I was leaving for six weeks to work with CARE on temporary assignment in Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, I was immediately bombarded with Facebook messages, emails and calls along the lines of “I’m so proud of you. You’re going to save the world!” and “You’re making such a difference!

A newly arrived refugee child attemps to lift the family's new cooking utensils. (Photo: CARE/Clark)

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Dadaab, Blog #1,  August ^30th, 2011

Here I sit, 7,500 miles away from home. I’m a week in. Over the course of just a few days, my life has completely changed. On a Monday I reported to work at CARE’s Washington, D.C. office. By Thursday I was on a plane bound for Nairobi where my final destination would be Dadaab Refugee Camp, the world’s largest. I will spend the next six weeks here as CARE’s emergency media officer. It is a position that both thrills and terrifies me. As an employee of one of the most prominent global humanitarian agencies, there is always an excitement that surrounds “going to the field.” But this is different.

Niki Clark, who works in Policy Communications at CARE USA, is currently working in Dadaab, Kenya. (Photo: CARE/Wilke)

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Early morning in Dadaab, a nice breeze announces a day that will most likely not be too hot. Outside of the CARE canteen, people are scattered at tables under trees, taking their breakfast. CARE’s 270 members of staff live and work in so-called compounds, one in each of the three refugee camps of Dadaab, one in the main part of town, attached to the compounds of UN agencies and other aid organizations.

Theresiah Nthiani works in Dadaab in the field education since 1999. (Photo: CARE/Wilke)

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Dadaab, Blog 2, August 12^th, 2011

The realities of a refugee camp are hard to explain to the outside world. Many people think of Dadaab as a fenced-in area, overcrowded with tents, and people lining up for assistance. Some of this is true, to a certain extent. But Dadaab has grown for over 20 years now, and developed into an almost urban settlement of huge dimensions.

You can see the relief on the face of the father arrived safely in Dadaab. (Photo: CARE/Wilke)

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“It is unfortunate that the rains have decided to not fall for the last two years.” The Kenyan man sitting next to me on the plane to Nairobi has a very poetic choice of language, which makes for a rather stark contrast when you consider what he refers to: His country and the whole region are in the middle of a humanitarian crisis triggered by a severe drought, which is affecting almost 11 million people. And yes, some parts of this region have not seen rainfall in two years. My neighbor continues: “It is all about water. If you don’t have water, you cannot raise animals. And without animals… well, that is their life insurance.”

CARE distributes food and other relief items at the reception centre of Dagahaley camp (Photo: CARE/Wilke)

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by Thomas Schwarz

Even in Nairobi water becomes scarce (photo: CARE/Freccia)

It is not really hot in Kenya. At least not in Nairobi, where I arrived today. (more…)