In Somalia, DRC works with both immediate humanitarian relief to alleviate suffering caused by both conflict and climate changes, and more long term support to help stabilise the region by strengthening people's skills and their ability to provide for themselves.
DRC, in partnership with a local partner organisation, provides daily meals for up to 100.000 people in Mogadishu. These are the most destitute and vulnerable among those affected by the ongoing fighting in the city, and are often women and children, the old and the sick. The meal they get from DRC is often the only food they receive in a day.
DRC also works closely with the local communities to help strengthen their own capacity. This is done through skills training in for example agriculture and support in the form of seeds and tools. Through this support, people are able to continue their traditional livelihoods, but use new techniques and equipment.
Other activities in Somalia include provision of water and sanitation facilities as many people are affected by severe climate changes which can be both floods and drought depending on the season.
Somalia is one of the poorest and most devastated countries in the Horn of Africa. The country is in a constant state of humanitarian crisis and has been the scene of one of the world’s largest displacement of population over the last years.
According to the UN, the number of people requiring humanitarian and emergency livelihoods support almost doubled during 2008, increasing by 77% from 1.8 million in January to 3.2 by July. In general, the food security situation in all livelihood zones remained as classified during the post Deyr 08/09 assessment (FSAU April 09). Cases of malnutrition among children below the age of five have also dramatically increased. At least 200,000 children under five years of age are known to be acutely malnourished in Somalia, of which 60,000 are estimated to be severely malnourished.
Recurrent droughts and floods have critically affected harvests over the last few years and have contributed to this large-scale humanitarian crisis. This is compounded by the political instability prevailing since the collapse of the central government in 1990 and the lasting insecurity have forced thousands of people to leave their residence and prevents them from maintaining their habitual livelihood.
Although civilians have been displaced in all parts of the country, in the recent years most of the displacement has taken place in the troubled South and Central regions. Some 1.1 million people are currently displaced in those regions. The Northern regions of Puntland and Somaliland respectively host 100,000 and 80,000 internally displaced people (IDP).
Due to the growing insecurity in the country, the number of Somali refugees has also significantly increased in the past few years. Currently, there are some 257,977 Somali refugees in the three Dadaab refugee camps. In Yemen, there are 126,000 Somali refugees, with 30,000 registered in 2008 alone.
DRC has been working with Somalis and other displaced and conflict-affected populations in Somalia since 1998.
