Years of conflict and fragility have left Somalia facing a wide array of humanitarian and developmental challenges. Rapid population growth continues to run ahead of the economy’s capacity to generate jobs, and levels of acute poverty and vulnerability remain extremely high. At 67 percent, youth unemployment remains one of the highest in the world.
COVID-19 has heavily impacted Somalia’s informal economy, based on remittances, foreign imports and agriculture. Women-owned businesses were especially hard-hit, with 98 percent reporting reduced revenue, reflecting gender inequalities in the country. Like other countries across the Horn of Africa, Somalia’s dependence on agriculture makes it deeply vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Climatic shocks, combined with armed conflict and displacement leave almost half the population in need of humanitarian assistance.
ACTED has been present in Somalia since 2009 delivering life-saving assistance coupled with recovery efforts and resilience programming. Coordination offices are in Nairobi and Hargeisa, whilst ACTED also has four bases in Baidoa, Kismayo, Bardera and Badhan. ACTED implements in several sectors with a strong focus on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food security and livelihoods support (FSL) and Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM).
In Somalia, ACTED addresses the humanitarian needs in order to improve the living conditions of affected populations through the implementation of resilience and recovery interventions. This includes the provision of multi-purpose cash assistance to vulnerable households to improve household’s ability to meet basic needs.
ACTED also addresses WASH needs by facilitating the construction and rehabilitation of WASH assets including boreholes, shallow wells, and latrines as well as conducting hygiene promotion activities.
Within WASH interventions ACTED leverages public private partnerships to ensure the sustainability of water infrastructure programming. Moreover, ACTED conducts CCCM for the purpose of improving the living conditions of IDP communities through rehabilitation of shelters, provision of non-food items, and emergency shelter kits as well as to ensure IDPs live in safe, dignified, and secure shelters through site maintenance activities. A focus of ACTED’s CCCM work is towards durable solutions for the 2.9 million IDPs in Somalia. Lastly, ACTED implements project that aimed to strengthen food security through regenerative agriculture.
ACTED implemented a regenerative earthwork & vegetation in vulnerable ecosystem (REVIVE) project in Magalo-Cad, Somaliland.
The project successfully improved the food security of beneficiary households through regenerative agricultural practices and income generating activities. the project established diverse, resilient food systems that require minimum maintenance, improved food security and dietary diversity, while also restoring ecosystems in the long-term.
ACTED also delivered exposure opportunities for target communities on regenerative agriculture, enabling increased understanding of relevant agricultural techniques capable of fostering resilient ecosystems, and long-term sustainable solutions. Through this initiative, communities were also provided temporary employment that enabled them to improve on their families purchasing power and access to basic needs. Additionally, ACTED has recently secured funding to implement the broader THRIVE framework throughout Somaliland and Somalia, targeting 33,531 individuals.