Emergency food security and livelihoods responses to drought affected pastoral  and agro-pastrol communities in South of Dollow, Gedo region, South Somalia The project for “Emergency food security and livelihoods responses to drought affected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in South of Dollow in Gedo region, South Somalia” aims to save and protect livelihood assets of 520 vulnerable drought affected pastoralists and agro-pastoralists HHs including women, boys, girls, and female headed households.

The project targets most vulnerable women, men, boys and girls who were affected by the prevailing drought in the region as a result of three consecutive rainy season failures and has specific focus on the most vulnerable populations. The prevailing drought has severely and directly affected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities whose sources of food, income and water are diminishing and increasingly at risk. This has led to household food insecurity, sharp increase in debt levels among poor households and a severe reduction in access to safe water for both domestic and animal use. Additionally, the drought affected households rely on food purchase from local markets, have weak purchasing power due to limited income and lack access to credit services due to cumulative debt and therefore not able to purchase veterinary drugs and water, which is essential at this period when livestock body condition is so poor thus susceptible to opportunistic diseases.

In order to improve household immediate access to food, unconditional cash transfer will be provided to 520 pastoralists and agro-pastoral HHs including girls, pregnant and lactating women, boys and men to enable them immediately access food, water, healthcare, and other basic services. 

To protect key livelihoods assets of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists, livestock belonging to 300 vulnerable pastoralists HHs (including female headed)  and drawn from cash beneficiaries, currently affected by drought and who cannot afford costs for livestock drugs and treatment services will be provided with treatment. This activity will prevent deaths and reduction in production through treatment of livestock against bacterial infections, trypanosomosis, helminthosis, tick infestation, mange, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. Additionally, the same HHs  will be provided with water for livestock use in response to immediate water needs. The activity is aimed at protecting livestock assets of the drought affected pastoral communities from dehydration, opportunistic infections and death. This activity is envisaged to reduce workload and stress on women and girls who are responsible for watering of livestock. In addition, GBV associated with fetching and transporting water for long distances will be mitigated through the proposed water trucking

Overall this action targets 520 HHs. In summary the following activities will be carried out:
1. Provide unconditional cash to 520 HH. 
2. Provide livestock treatment support for 300 HH. (This category is drawn from the  520 HHs and focuses on HHs with few livestock holding)
3. Provide water for livestock use to 300 HH. (This is the same HHs who receive animal treatment support

N/B) The animal treatment and Water trucking benefits the same HHs (300) who are a subset of the 520 HHs receiving cash support.