Scaling Up Emergency Food Security and Livelihood support to the most vulnerable drought-affected groups in Baidoa and Bardale Districts The project is designed to support a total number of 1,170  drought-affected households -7020 individuals (1685 men,1825 women, 1755 boys, and 1755 girls). 430 vulnerable IDP households severely affected by the drought will be supported with unconditional cash transfers, 370 households will be supported with supplementary feeds/fodder and water trucking for their weak livestock, and 370 HHs supported with emergence cash + livelihood inputs to enable agro-pastoral households to get back into production by securing a harvest/sustain animal health to improve household access to food in the Baidoa and Bardale districts of the Bay region. The project will deliver emergency lifesaving and life-sustaining consumption and livelihood support. Project activities include
Provision of Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) to 430 drought-affected households to improve access to food in the Baidoa and Bardale districts of the Bay region. the vulnerable IDPs in drought-affected sites and households with malnourished under-five children (SAM and MAM) based on the admission records.
 Provision of livestock feed/fodder or supplementary feed to 370 households to prevent drought-related fatalities in the most drought-affected sites with the highest vulnerability
 Provision of water to livestock to 370 households to prevent drought-related fatalities to communities’ sites that are in severe water shortages
 Provision of emergence cash + livelihood inputs to enable 370 drought-affected households to get back into production to secure a harvest/sustain animal health to improve household access to food in the Baidoa and Bardale districts of the Bay region

Mercy Corps will ensure community participation in targeting. Overall, Mercy Corps will ensure that as food security and livelihood activities are implemented, the contextual issues of different needs of men, women, boys, and girls, considering age, gender, and diversity (AGD) factors, including social background and/marginalized community members are considered. To ensure that the elderly and people living with disabilities (PwD) have access to food and livelihood services, Mercy Corps will make a deliberate effort during its design and implementation to reach them. This will include discussions with the community during targeting and direct delivery of these services to their households. Mercy Corps will also undertake post-distribution monitoring to help understand how communities benefited from the support and recommendations on how to improve future programs.

Mercy Corps has a strong and long-term presence in the Bay region particularly in Baidoa and Bardale districts, with already well-established relationships with community structures. Mercy Corps is implementing different programs in the Bay region including emergency drought and resilience projects with funding from several donors such as  UNCHR, SHF, and BHA among others. Under the SHF-funded project, Mercy Corps is targeting the recent drought-affected locations with lifesaving and life-sustaining interventions. With increased displacement in the target locations, this proposed intervention with help reaches more drought-affected households of 6840 individuals through conditional cash transfers, water trucking, and fodder distribution. Mercy Corps will coordinate with the CCM cluster in the identification of the locations to ensure no duplication happens 

Mercy Corps has a long-term presence in Bay region and has an insight into the market dynamics which are relevant to understanding the drivers of high prices and access to food and essential commodities in the IDPs and host communities and the systemic constraints responsible for this situation. Findings from the continuous market monitoring activities of WFP Somalia  also confirm a consistent trend of high prices in all settlements. Similarly in terms of cash transfer, the Hormuud Telecom is present for the MMT transfer which is the only reputable service provider.