IRIN | Africa | Hear our Voices

Abubakar, "This tree has been my home for years"
		He only has one name, Abubakar, given to him by others who live on the streets of Mombasa. But unlike them, the teenager has no recollection of a previous, more sheltered life and no knowledge of any relatives or their whereabouts. He spoke to IRIN on 21 September full testimony
Denise Nzohabonayo: "We are here because we have no land to go to"
		Denise Nzohabonayo, a mother of four, was repatriated from Nduta refugee camp in Tanzania in July 2008 to the Nyabitare transit site near Ruyigi in eastern Burundi. After a month, stranded and with no home to return to, Nzohabonayo left Nyabitare for Muriza Butaganzwa commune, also in Ruyigi, in the hope that she would finally get some permanent shelter for her family. Being a landless returnee is not easy, as Nzohabonayo told IRIN. full testimony
Makoanyane Letsoara: "I want to be able to help others who don't have food."
		Makoanyane Letsoara, a subsistence farmer in Ha Tsiu, a village 100km east of Maseru, capital of Lesotho, is in his forties and the sole supporter of his family of six - his mother, wife, children and younger siblings. full testimony
Nuurto Aweys: "When you are hungry you will eat anything that does not eat you"
		In July, Nuurto Aweys, 30, fled fighting between Ethiopian-backed government troops and insurgents in Mogadishu and sought shelter in a camp for the displaced in Arbiska area, 20km south of the capital. The area hosts hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs). full testimony
Mathabang Letsoara, "We have less than half a sack of maize to live on"
		Mathabang Letsoara, in her early twenties, lives with her family of six in Ha Tsiu, a village 100km east of Maseru, capital of Lesotho. Food production in their village has fallen steadily. full testimony
Motlomelo Thakali, "There were days on which I lived on water, but still had my ARVs"
		Motlomelo Thakali lives with his family of five in Motloang, a village 70km east of Maseru, capital of Lesotho. He is HIV positive and unemployed, and depends on casual work to help feed his family, comprising his daughter, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. Lesotho's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 23.2 percent is one of the world's highest. full testimony

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