Somalia - ACJR 2023 (Project) SUMMARY
In November 2023, severe flooding in Somalia led to the displacement of around one million people, while simultaneously causing devastation of crops, death of livestock, and damage to infrastructure and homes. This led to increased food shortages, water contamination, disease outbreaks and disrupted livelihoods. In December 2023, Plan International in Somalia, in partnership with Taakulo, started implementing an acute response programme for food security and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in ten camps of internally displaced people (IDP) in the Baidoa district. WASH activities include water trucking and rehabilitation of water sources, as well as the distribution of containers, water treatment supplies and menstrual hygiene kits. In addition, to mitigate the risk of hunger, cash assistance is provided to vulnerable households through mobile money transfers. Additional activities include dissemination of information about flood risks and mitigation of gender-based violence. On November 6th 2023, the Somali government declared a state of emergency because of severe flooding, which affected 2.48 million people across Somalia and displaced around 1 million people. The excessive rainfall from October to December caused devastation of crops, deaths of livestock, and damage to infrastructure including homes. This led to increased food shortages, water contamination, disease outbreaks and disrupted livelihoods. The flooding worsened pre-existing low purchasing power due to disrupted livelihoods following years of drought and the ongoing fragile political situation, combined with violence. In most locations, food prices have increased by more than 25 per cent, and up to 50 per cent in locations where people have been trapped by flood waters. The disease outbreaks are projected to worsen over time due to the high influx of internally displaced people in camps, causing congested environments where diseases can easily spread. Displacement and limited access to basic needs have also increased the risk of gender-based violence (OCHA, 2023). The activities are aimed at immediate, short-term relief primarily through cash for food and water & hygiene activities.

Water & hygiene activities focus on water trucking, as well as the rehabilitation of water sources and distribution of water containers along with menstrual hygiene kits. Around a thousand households are provided with clean water. For short- to medium-term relief, shallow wells devastated by the floods are rehabilitated. Additional activities include dissemination of flood-risk information, awareness raising to mitigate gender-based violence. In addition, good-practices of hygiene and sanitation are promoted through community water committees (which are also supported to prevent water-bourne diseases and for long-term maintenance of water sources). Cash for food is provided to 496 of the most vulnerable households in 10 camps of internally displaced people, implemented through mobile money transfers, at $90 per HH for 3 months in line with the Cash Working Group and Food Security cluster standards. The floods exacerbated pre-existing challenges in Somalia, causing a high influx of internally-displaced people in (new) camps. For instance, there is an urgent need for access to clean water facilities. Sanitation infrastructures have been heavily damaged, leaving thousands of affected and displaced people to defecation in the open. Therefore, concerns of water-borne disease outbreaks remain high. In this response, Plan and Taakulo work as part of the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA). The activities are primarily aimed at immediate, short-term relief, but complementarity with other interventions was prioritised due to the major scale of the crisis and the limited funding available. Other DRA members provide complementary assistance including Help a Child, Plan International Netherlands, Oxfam Novib, Save the Children, Tearfund, World Vision. This is a joint response with a multi-sectoral approach. The response takes place in 10 camps, primarily focusing on the needs of internally-displaced people. Cash assistance, and activities for water and sanitation are undertaken to support the most vulnerable households. In addition, 350 of the most vulnerable women and adolescent girls receive kits for their hygiene needs. Taakulo & Plan (T&P) will provide cash for food to 496 of the most vulnerable HHs (3,472 people) in 10 IDP camps implemented through mobile money transfers, with SIM cards provided by Taakulo, for the amount of $90 per HH per month for 3 months based on CWG and FS cluster standards. The cash component will be complemented by additional activities that will lay the groundwork for early recovery. T&P will provide water-trucking  to provide access to drinking water in line with the local WASH cluster minimum standards. Treated and functional boreholes in Baidoa city will be used to truck water to 10 IDP camps for 45 days. Water treatment kits will also be used and key water quality benchmarks will be addressed (i.e. total dissolved solids, PH, turbidity, electric conductivity). In addition, jerrycans will be distributed to 1000 vulnerable HHs. 8 public water sources (shallow wells) will be rehabilitated, benefitting an estimated 3600 individuals. The response will be implemented with community water committees in each of the 10 camps. This will focus primarily on prevention of disease, as the WASH assessment showed major risks to life by primarily water-borne disease in the current context. The community water committees will at the same time be supported to provide long-term maintenance for the shallow wells after their rehabilitation. Besides, 350 of the most vulnerable women and adolescent girls will receive complete MHM kits to enable them to meet their basic hygiene needs. 

Protection mainstreaming is included in this activity, as is AAP and post-distribution monitoring, with a particular focus on aid diversion mitigation. T&P will provide awareness raising child protection and gender based violence through two hygiene promoters.  The activities will include strong protection mainstreaming, through messaging / information  on protection topics during distribution, most notably to mitigate protection concerns.