PROJECT LOCATION : DOLLOW, BELED-HAWA, ELWAK, LUUQ AND BARDHEERE DISTRICTS, GEDO REGION SOMALIA.
Period: October 2019-May 2021

Through OFDA-funding, Mercy Corps through its partner Nasib Relief and Development Organization (NARDO) has implemented Somalia emergency assistance and early market recovery (SEAM) program funded by USAID/OFDA to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to vulnerable and hard to reach communities in the targeted villages of Dolow, Baled-Hawa, Luuq, Elwak and Bardere districts in Gedo region.

The project aims to support the IDPs and other vulnerable women, men, boys and girls that are affected by the natural and human-made hazards in Gedo region, as well as, better able to meet their immediate WASH, food security, and economic recovery needs and manage risk without detriment to their wellbeing.

During the implementation of SEAM program, NARDO implemented the following activities to achieve the program goal:

1. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector.

The objective Vulnerable IDP and host community members affected by emergencies have improved access to safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and practice good hygiene.

Water Supply

Nardo, supported 90 existing and new water management committees with trainings on the aspects of management of the water facilities (operation and maintenance), water management committee guidelines such as (purpose of the committee), maintenance on the safety of the water and water treatment methods, proper disposal of garbage and other waste material, maintenance of good hygiene environment.

• 

Nardo supported and provided fuel subsidies to nine (9) strategic shallow wells in Dolow and Elwak Districts.

The provision of fuel subsidies has supported the communities during the dry seasons to ensure vulnerable IDPs and host communities continue to have access to clean water. The subsidies were distributed during the peak period when other sources of water, such as water tanks, berkads, water pan (dams) and river have dried up and the functioning shallow wells were in high demand and operating long hours at high cost to address the community needs.

Provision of emergency water trucking to most vulnerable communities in Gedo region.

Many part of Gedo region remain dire needs for water trucking during the drought, Nardo supported more than 20 sites with emergency water trucking during this period and installed 15 temporary water storage (water bladders) to ensure proper distribution and safety of the water during the intervention. Although water trucking is temporary support, it saves life of human and animals, allow them to have sufficient quantities of water to survive during emergency (15 liters per person/day).

Sanitation

Fund and monitor construction of 28 household latrines

Poor sanitation that resulted insufficient sanitation infrastructure contributes to health challenges, Nardo/mercy corps constructed 28 ventilated improved pit latrines with hand washing facilities and solar light to Elwak, Beled-Hawa and Dolow Districts, to improve the sanitation problem in the region. This has reduced open defecation and subsequent contamination of ground water sources in the settlements, each latrine will be shared by an average of five households in accordance with Sphere minimum standard of 1:50 for communal settings with a minimum of 30 meters from a water source.

Hygiene Promotion

Nardo Trained Community Health Workers (CHW) to reach communities with key messages focusing on preventing diseases by facilitating changes in safe drinking water management, hand washing, managing safe excreta, and waste disposal.

To enable the community health workers to transform and become Behavior Change Agents (BCA) in the community by adopting improved hygiene practices at the household and community level and supporting the community in promoting appropriate and desirable hygiene and sanitation practise.

• 

• 

• 

Development and dissemination of IEC materials

Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials which was imprinted with hygiene and Corona-virus messages and translated into the local language (English-Somalia) for easy understanding of community members was developed and disseminated. The developed and disseminated materials was including; designed posters, leaflets, t-shirts, female head scarf and caps, The IEC materials distributed was intended to guide the communities and help them to adapt and practice good hygiene and sanitation over time and will change their attitudes and practices.

• 

• 

• 

Scz: Gedo Regio ; Community sensitization on Corona virus in Idan village, Beled-Hawa District.

Mr. Osman Farah is a 45 years old farmer and chairman of Tawakalunion cooperatives farmers in Bacadley village, Luuq District. The cooperative consists of 25 small-scale farmers (15male and 10 female), they put a lot of their time on farming activities to sustain their income. In 2018 flash flood destroyed their primary canal edges and their production reduced to an extent they no longer take part in the supply of goods to main market (supply goods of low quality to local market). The linkage between them and the exporter in Kismayo weakens and some farmers’ participation in the cooperative decreased, however Mr. Osman and some few members continue farming to sustain their family.

Under SEARAP 2019, Nardo rehabilitated the primary earth canal and supported the members with farm inputs (seeds, tools)under SEARAP in 2019, there has been a tremendous change on the direction of the cooperative. They are motivated and the drop out members rejoined, farmers started producing different high quality products, they started pooling their resources together to gain access to the main market. The farmers mainly produce Simsims, Maize, Soya beans, Fruits (mango, guava, banana, lemon). After Nardo intervention, the cooperative developed a market linkage with traders in Kismayo to supply high quality products. They started transporting dried lemon to Kismayo which later exported to Dubai.Their income has improved, currently they are ploughing large hectors of land next to their farms to expand their production and their appeal is to support them with Generators and their new initiative of buying tractor from members’ contribution.

Mr. Osman told Nardo “Previously we were losing a lot of water in the process, since the canal broke out and we have been spending a lot of fuel in the process. But now we spend less fuel the water flow is smooth and reach the furthest point of the farms”.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•