NRC in Somalia

NRC's operation

We operate through four area offices across the country with our teams on the ground responding to the ever-increasing needs. We target those who have been forced to flee with our activities, which range from building shelters to tackling agricultural challenges, and from acquiring new skills to strengthening people’s resilience to future shocks. Our programmes and activities are rooted in community-based approaches and we are committed specifically to reaching hard-to-reach areas and advancing localisation efforts in Somalia.

Protection from violence

 
We work to protect those most at risk in Somalia and support communities’ right to freedom from violence, coercion and deliberate deprivation. Our teams: 

• do first line response using protection desks in conflict affected and hard to reach areas
• through protection and solutions monitoring Network (PSMN), together with our partners conduct monitoring, reporting of displacements and protection incidents
• engage communities through awareness and sensitization on protection risks, threats and vulnerabilities
• identify child protection and GBV related risks and refer to service providers
• provision of individual protection assistance through cash transfer to individuals and households facing protection issues or at risk of facing protection concerns
• monitor population movements including returns in specific locations such as transit sites, IDP settlements, border crossings, and temporary locations
• identification, documentation and referral of protection related cases to service providers
• issue flash alerts for massive displacement and hotspot areas affected by conflicts, droughts and floods
• ensure a well-coordinated, effective and principled preparedness actions and responses, joint protection analysis for Protection Cluster at the National and Sub-national levels
• refer protection cases to specialised services

Education

We want all displaced Somali children and youth, as well as those in the communities that host them, to go to school. Our education teams:

• provide formal and accelerated classes for children who have missed out on education to catch up with their peers, to ensure their transition into the formal school system
• engage with young people through our youth education programme, which helps young adults find opportunities to create their own businesses and cooperatives
• train teachers in teaching approaches in crisis contexts, child protection and psychosocial support
• construct and rehabilitate temporary learning spaces and permanent classrooms, in coordination with our shelter teams
• provide teaching and learning materials

Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)

Many displaced people in Somalia are denied basic rights like land tenure. Our teams:

• help Somali refugees to return safely
• raise awareness about the rights of displaced people among local authorities and communities
• provide information and legal counselling on housing, land and property rights to displaced Somalis and Somali refugees who have returned to the country
• run an emergency hotline and call centre to provide immediate legal advice
• assist displaced Somalis to secure land tenure
• monitor evictions and provide tailored assistance to people affected by evictions

Livelihoods and food security

Protracted conflict and political instability over decades have led to the displacement of people, the destruction of infrastructure, and the disruption of livelihoods and agricultural activities, resulting in increased food insecurity in Somalia. Our teams:

• make lifesaving cash transfers (conditional and unconditional) to families so they can purchase food and household goods
• establish and strengthen social protection programmes to provide a safety net to vulnerable populations
• support communities’ environmental conservation activities, like providing solar energy for irrigation
• support communities in prioritisation of key needs and invest in critical infrastructure such as farm-to-market roads, soil protection, water harvesting structures and solarised irrigation channels
• provide smallholder farmers with access to improved seeds, fertilisers and irrigation systems to increase yields
• provide livelihood training to empower farmers and other community members with new skills (for instance, farmers are trained to tackle diseases that can damage their crops)
• promote vocational training and business development programmes to equip the population with the skills needed for employment

Shelter and settlements

We provide shelter and access to essential infrastructure and non-food items to internally displaced people, refugees and vulnerable host communities in Somalia. Our teams:

• construct and rehabilitate temporary/emergency, transitional and permanent shelters through cash and in-kind modalities and adopting owner-driven approaches whenever feasible
• distribute non-food items (NFIs) through cash and in-kind approaches
• prepare site/settlement plans and conduct training on site/settlement planning
• construct and rehabilitate essential infrastructure, for instance roads, community centres, markets, schools etc.
• co-chair the national shelter cluster at country level and regional cluster coordination groups

Water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH)

Lack of access to safe water and sanitation is a major driver of humanitarian needs in Somalia. Our teams:

• construct household and community latrines including school sanitation facilities
• construct and rehabilitate water systems for drinking water
• promote sanitation and hygiene awareness
• train communities in how to use and maintain hygiene facilities and waste management systems