Life in Somalia is not easy. These rural villages are lucky if they have a generator to provide electricity for even an hour or two a day. Water is only obtained from wadis or deep wells (such as those in Sudan) in the most remote areas of the desert. And almost all food comes in the form of meat from livestock raised in the desert scrubland surrounding each village:

Any hint of a nicer home – such as the one below – was described to me as having three possible explanations:

1) A relative fortunate enough to live overseas that is wiring money home
2) Involvement in crime
3) Saudi Arabia is funneling a lot of money into Somalia to promote Wahhabism. As such, Wahhabi mosques have sprung up all over the place – even in tiny villages such as these where a decent home will be constructed and then converted into a mosque

Of course, war doesn’t help much with raising the standard of living… War damage is a frequent sight in Somalia: