care international in ethiopia – pastoral drop out study - ELMT Home

The major sources of livelihood for pastoral-dropouts include sale of fuel wood, water to
urban consumers, look for remittance from relatives and children, cultivation, cultivating for
others, move to forested area to supply timber for urban people, herding and trekking
animals for traders; house maid, watchman, washing closes for urban people, daily labor,
petty trading, brokering and passing contraband goods. There is some level of division of
labor between male and female members in their activity participation. For example, fuel
wood collection, cloth washing, passing contraband items are mainly done my women while
activities such as trekking animals for traders and brokering are areas of male engagement.
For capital demanding activities one often takes credit from wealthier households. It is
common for dropouts to go to places they knew before, places where someone from their
village runaway before them, and to stay at the edge of the rural area but closer to town to
maximize opportunities from both the rural and urban settings. Since they are familiar to the
rural environment they can assist livestock traders and make money. Since they are getting
closer to the urban environment they will be in a good position to have better knowledge
about the urban system to assist the pastoralists in cases of purchasing vet drugs, taking
them to hospitals, selling their animals, etc.
According to the FGD members, in Borana one does everything possible to run away from
a place or a community where he became poor or qolle. He moves out of that community
either to urban area or other rural places. Based on prior information he or she may have,
one can move alone or with the family members. If moved to another rural pastoral area one
can live on dabarre in which he can be restocked overtime to continue as pastoralist. This is a
rare case. Most move to peri-urban or Urban areas.
If a dropout succeeds in his new livelihood strategy, his status in the society where he came
from will be upgraded, otherwise he can be consider as a useless person who ran away from
his own community and poverty but never became a better person. No matter how much a
dropout is willing to maintain his relation with his original community this may not happen
unless he is successful on his new endeavors. If a person becomes successful then he will
receive a higher regard and recognition by his clan, relatives, and the community and his
clan. If he fails he will be despised. Even his clan members and close relatives become
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