The assistance infrastructure
Establishing an assistance program overseas is a like creating a little America wherever America works. It involves arranging for housing and housing maintenance for staff and contractors, assisting them with transportation, ensuring their personal safety, establishing schools for their children, and providing for their comfort and leisure time. In short, it involved creating a substantial infrastructure of buildings, procedures and personnel. An equally large (perhaps even larger) infrastructure was created to help in the implementation of assistance projects. Project commodities (vehicles, furnishings, computers, equipment and materials) were all imported. Because of the Buy America component of foreign assistance programs, the commodities needed to be American in origin and manufacture, unless a waiver was sought, which was often involved a lengthy process of justifying your request with an uncertain outcome. Since American products were generally not available in the country, replacement parts needed to be imported and people trained to repair American machines were also required. So, for example, the GM jeep used for project transportation, got its gas at an AID established facility, where it was also repaired (usually by Filipinos, who were contract workers, hired specifically for maintenance jobs). Petrol at the USAID filling station was also imported. Needless to say the garage stocked a large variety of replacement parts and when they ran out, the wait could be lengthy.
Housing
Embassy and AID personnel as well as contractors were provided housing. Contract personnel (possibly embassy and AID officials too) paid rent from the housing allowances they were provided as part of their overseas benefit package. The size, location and quality were commensurate with their position in the pecking order as well as family size. Embassy personnel had the best housing with the most attractive furnishings; AID staff were next and long-term contractors were last. However, even the housing for contractors was quiet large and comfortable, especially considering this was Somalia. Security in the form of 2- 3 shifts of guards to provide round the clock protection, was also provided. The houses included air conditioning units and generators for when the electricity failed. Housing maintenance was provided (again, mainly by Filipino contract workers) and many families used their guards to maintain their gardens. Depending on personal preference the houses could be fully or partially furnished, but came with decorative items like curtains. There was a certain sameness to the furnishings, yet everyone managed to add personal touches to their homes.
The houses were rented from local Somalis and as the size of the American community grew, construction of housing increased commensurately. Whole new areas went up during the time that I worked there and some of the houses were what we now call McMansions. Government ministers were rumored to be some of the biggest landlords and I heard of Somalis who were reputed to own 15 -20 houses.
Embassy, AID and contract staff all had allowances for shipping furniture and personal effects. The size of the allowance varied with one’s position, but all received assistance in clearing the port and getting the container to their houses. There was an office dedicated solely to clearing shipments of personal belongings, project equipment and vehicles.
The Recreation and Welfare Association (RWA)
The RWA, an independent organization run by the state department, addressed many of the personal needs of the American embassy and aid community. You went there to change your money, make travel arrangements, and buy gas at the central garage. They also ran the commissary and they arranged for much of the recreation provided for the American community. That included tours and travel arrangements outside of the country as well as social events in Somalia, including the weekly MASH (runs followed by beer drinking) and movies. They ran the recreational club, pool and snack bar, and then a few years later when a second facility was completed, they also ran a larger pool, golf club and restaurant. Membership was automatic for all personnel associated with the American Embassy and AID.
I tended to use the pool that was part of the older complex because it was walking distance from the project guesthouse and I needed transportation to get to the newer facility. Also I was primarily interested in the pool and less interested in the restaurant unless I was going with a group of people. Whichever facility I used however, I rubbed elbows with “the American community”, embassy and USAID employees and contractors (both short and long term). Foreign service nationals (FSNs) employed by the embassy or mission, did not have RWA privileges, (the “class system” is a topic that will be discussed later). No other country with a presence in Somalia had as extensive a support system as the Americans. We probably also had the largest presence but there was also the expectation that Americans working overseas will not experience any diminution in their life styles. In fact, when housing and commissary use was factored in many lived better overseas than they could afford to live in the states (more discussion of this later). Having said that, however, there were also many inconveniences, and distance from family was only one of them.
The Commissary
The commissary was an essential part of our in-country lives, and served as the main source of the food we ate (that either we cooked or was cooked for us), the liquor we drank, and the snacks we served. The food products were primarily American including American cereal, cookies, crackers, canned goods, etc. They stocked frozen meats and once a week fresh (or not so fresh) fruits and vegetables were flown in from Kenya. (I tended to buy fruits and vegetables at the local markets). The prices were subsidized and the price of alcohol was unbelievably cheap. I was told that was because alcohol was heavily taxed in the states and they were tax-free there. The cheap price of liquor contributed to a lot of heavy drinking and probably some of the alcoholism that was pretty widespread. I knew of several USAID employees who were reputed to have a drinking problem. The loneliness of the life there was certainly a contributing factor. A number of USAID employees were at the end of their careers and took an overseas posting in Somalia because it would raise their retirement pensions. Some were a sad and lonely lot, counting the days until retirement. Usually their wives did not accompany them, feeling that they had had enough of overseas life and /or their children were in school in the U.S. A place like Somalia had an American school only until the 8th grade. Older children either went to boarding school in Europe, or to a school in the U.S, which meant that the spouse (e.g. the wife) stayed behind. Families received an educational allowance for educating their children overseas.
I found that an overseas posting for single women with children was a pretty good deal, and indeed I met a number of such women. Spacious housing was provided, and help was cheap and plentiful. One of the single moms that I got to know had a cook, someone who cleaned her house and someone to take care of her children, all for probably about a $100 a month. These were good jobs for Somalis, and as one family left they passed their help onto the family that was replacing them.