Somalia Resilience Programme (SomReP), Somalia

Somalia has an arid to semi-arid climate and the country experiences recurring drought every 3-5 years. The drought of 2011 resulted into many deaths and exposed weaknesses in the existing coping mechanisms, including weak human and institutional capacity, lack of effective policies, rules, regulations and legislative arrangements. In addition, consequences resulting from the endemic conflict and insecurity including the forced evictions and displacements have all contributed to undermine the communities’ resilience. Although the recent El Niño did not cause severe flooding as predicted in south and central Somalia, seasonal forecasts now indicate a high likelihood of a La Niña event occurring throughout the Deyr season leading to below-average production. A deterioration of the food situation from October to January is subsequently expected and over 1 million people are likely to be in a food crisis and emergency stage (ICP3-4). Mid-to longer term donor support in the area of resilience building is highly needed, or else recurring shocks will always call for emergency relief interventions.

70’000 vulnerable pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and peri-urban households, representing approximately 420’000 individuals in more than 20 districts will benefit from SomReP’s initiative for the overall (2013-2019) project period. 

The beneficiary selection features include economic, physiological and social vulnerability criteria in order to prioritize the marginalized component of the Somali population.

• Adaptive capacity of individuals, HHs and communities are improved through support to livelihood diversification and access to market, financial services and basic livelihood services.
• Absorptive capacity of HHs and communities improved through support of effective disaster risk management, adoption of positive coping strategies and improved access to formal and informal safety nets.
• Eco-system health improved through promotion of equitable and sustainable natural resource management.
• Transformative capacity improved through greater coordination of community based governance structures in the field of livelihoods, DRR, conflict mitigation and natural resource management.
• Program learning and research generated and shared among relevant stakeholders.

Expected results:  

• Improved access to markets for the surplus  production through infrastructure development, capacity building of small scale businesses, enhancement of key value chains and diversification of livelihoods;
• Improved access to production/farming inputs;
• Improved community’s strategies of disaster risk-management and access to informal safety nets;
• Enhanced NRM to improve access to water, pasture and other rangelands resources for livestock and people;
• Coordination of community based governance structures in the field of livelihoods, DRR, conflict mitigation and NRM strengthened;
• Wider research conducted on resilience measurements and community engagement and findings documented and disseminated among stakeholders through the SomRep supported “Resilience Learning Network”;
• Engagement with the Somalia Federal Government in Mogadishu and at regional and district levels redesigned to enhance the role of the government in resilience building.

Results from previous phases:  

• Improved productive infrastructure through cash for work (282 water structures, 197 km of irrigation canals, 516 km of roads and 6 markets);
• Improved agricultural and livelihood productivity attained through training of 22,095 beneficiaries;
• Access to financial savings and loans improved at the village level through the formation of 116 Village savings and loans associations (VSLA) and training of 1442 persons (398 male, 1044 female);
• Drought and flood preparedness and response enhanced through use of SomRePs Early Warning/Early action system.

Phase 3 01.12.2016 - 28.02.2018   (Completed)