Improving immediate access to food while restoring livelihoods among the under-served communities in Sanag region. The overall objective of the proposed project is to directly improve immediate access to food for at least 279 households (1,953 individuals considering a household size of 7 individuals) including 239 households benefiting from conditional cash transfers and 40 households benefiting from fodder production and management training and seeds support. 

To achieve the overall objective, the project offers to provide conditional cash transfers for improved access to food, rehabilitate water infrastructure and other communal livelihood assets such as rangelands, reseeding of the rehabilitated rangelands and construction of fodder shades. The project will also train selected beneficiaries in improved fodder production and management. The project directly targets mostly under-served individuals and living in hard to reach areas in 5 villages including Badhi Galis Satellite, Bixin, Masle in Ceel Afweyn district and Rag Caddeye, Marwade in Ceerigaabo district all in Sanag region. The target beneficiaries will mainly include women, men, persons with disability, children and the elderly and other vulnerable groups broadly categorized as host communities and IDPs. The project duration is 7 months to allow families to recover from adverse weather conditions. 

Specifically, 239 households (HH) including 235 workers and 4 foremen will receive conditional Cash Transfers. Each of the 235 household/ beneficiary will receive $126 for 3 months/ rounds, while the 4 foremen will be recruited for 54 days and paid a daily rate of $10. The cash transfers empower people with choice to address their essential and individual food needs, while also helping to boost local markets. Another reason for Candlelight to apply cash transfer are the reduced facilitation costs, as mobile transfers do require less administrative costs. The cash values to be transferred on a monthly basis are provided by the Cash Working Group (CWG) Somalia based on minimum expenditure basket (MEB) as per region across Somalia. A PDM will be conducted after the first round of cash transfer to determine level of satisfaction of the beneficiaries. A local telephone company (Telesom) with extensive experience of conducting cash transfer to beneficiaries in remote areas will be commissioned to conduct monthly cash transfers to beneficiaries mobile phones. The beneficiaries who may not know how to use the services will be trained on how to use it. 

Furthermore, at least 40 households from Bali Gelis and Bixin will be trained in improved fodder production and management and provided with fodder seedlings. In the same villages, 2 fodder shades will be constructed to improve fodder storage. 

Also, 2 berkads will be constructed in 2 villages including Rag Caddeye and Marwade in Ceerigaabo district and 2 dams will be rehabilitated in Rag Caddeye and Masle villages through conditional cash transfer in order to improve community access to water for household and livestock use through rehabilitated water infrastructure. Water catchments (rangelands) will be rehabilitated and reseeded to increase availability of fodder for the animals. 

Candlelight has rolled out a mobile phone/ technology beneficiary feedback and complaints mechanism (“feedback loops”) with a tool free and easy to remember telephone number. This will enable beneficiaries to provide feedback and complaints but as well receive feedback from Candlelight.