right direction THE Journey to sustainable support

Transcription

1 right direction THE Journey to sustainable support 1

2 INSIDE 3 the journey has begun 4 REHABILITATION OF SHALLOW WELLS 5 HYGIENE PROMOTION 6 CONSTRUCTION OF LATRINES 8 DISTRIBUTION OF WASH KITS The journey has begun Lower Shabelle is one of the principal agricultural regions of Somalia. However, drought, floods, insecurity and conflicts have had a negative effect on economic activities in this region. These combined shocks have contributed to displacement of people, loss of crops and livestock, exacerbating the existing crisis. Water is readily available in most settlements in the region, during both the wet and dry seasons. The greatest challenge however is the predominant use of unprotected water sources and long distances to access it. Infrastructure is not well developed, with most residents being compelled to travel long distances to access food. In addition, the Gu 2011 rains were poor, resulting in low cereal harvests. Given the importance of crop production in this region, these poor harvests affected not only household stocks, but national maize availability. Humanitarian assistance was essential to improve the livelihoods of the affected people. Oxfam in partnership with Hijra responded to provide humanitarian assistance to over 100,000 people affected by the conflict and drought in Afgooye district from May 2012 to August This is the journey towards sustainable support. Below: A completed latrine Top right: Canal rehabilitation Middle right: Jerry can distribution Bottom right: Land preparation 10 E-CASH 12 LAND PREPERATION 15 THE JOURNEY AHEAD 2 3

3 Rehabilitation of Shallow wells An assessment carried out by Oxfam and Hijra in August 2012 found that 49 percent of people in Afgooye district obtained their water from shallow wells and 28 percent from the river but the quality and quantities collected was not adequate. They also had to travel as far as two kilometers to access this water. To support 108,500 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) affected by conflict and drought access water, 26 shallow wells were rehabilitated and fitted with stainless steel hand pumps. Prior to their rehabilitation, the wells were open, leaving the water they held exposed to contamination and those dependent on them susceptible to disease. After the structure of the wells was repaired, the water collected until that point was treated with chlorine to disinfect it and ensure that it was suitable for consumption. The wells are now maintained by the water, sanitation and hygiene committees in each community, who signed an agreement guaranteeing free access to water to anyone wanting to use them. It now takes less than 30 minutes to access water. Hygiene training Village committees, water point attendants and Koranic teachers attended hygiene and sanitation training for 15 days. The training focused on establishing links between water and sanitation facilities and daily hygiene practices. The topics covered were the use, care and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities, safe storage of water and the safe disposal of waste. Previous page: Members of the community pumping water from rehabilitated shallow wells Top & right: Hygiene training taking place in Afgooye district 4 5

4 Construction of latrines and environmental sanitation Access to adequate sanitation facilities was poor for IDPs living in Afgooye town and residents of the villages surrounding it. The available facilities were either damaged or out of commission. The construction of 1,134 latrines contributed to improvement in access to safe sanitation facilities for both IDPs and local community members. In addition, 283 environmental sanitation tools kits containing wheel barrows, shovels, spades, rakes and brooms were distributed to trained Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES) committees tasked with maintaining collective environmental sanitation. Below: Step by step process of constructing a latrine Next page: Community members collecting wheel the environmental sanitation kits 6 7

5 Distribution of WASH kits A total of 6,500 kits consisting four bar soaps, aqua tabs to treat the water and two water collection containers were distributed directly by Hijra staff as well as through mobile phone vouchers from the MWASH mobile phone platform. These distributions were accompanied by hygiene education via interactive text messages on how to use the Non Food Item (NFI) kits to promote and improve health at household levels. Previous page and below: Distribution of jerry cans, soap and aqua tabs 8 9

6 E-cash Cash relief helped vulnerable households purchase life-saving food for their families and other essential household items, such as medicine or hygiene products and ensure that they have access to sustainable income families received $75 a month for four months through mobile money transfer. Mobile money is electronic currency stored on a mobile phone. This can be converted back into cash with designated agents at any time, and used to purchase goods or pay bills at affiliated merchants, or transfer money to other individuals. The program targeted vulnerable female headed households to support their efforts to improve their livelihoods. After they were registered as cash recepients, they received free mobile phones from Nation Link and trained on how to use them. They then received $75 a month for three months to use as they deemed fit. Top right: Focus group discussions on e-cash with the community Bottom right: Registration and distribution of the mobile phone Below: A young woman is heard during the group discussion Next page: Women leaving the Nation Link offices after receiving their phones and the phones being utilised 10 11

7 Farmers were also familiarised procedures of using the fertilizer and the pesticides during a farming training. This contributed to a wider capacity building program that involved a series of trainings including use of modern pesticides, post plantation crop management, and pre and post-harvest management. A group of farmers took part in the rehabilitation of canals that supplied water to their farms but had been clogged with silt over time and no longer work as effectively as they used to. The 2,135 farmers de-silted the canals for five days and received compensation through cash for work. The de-silting was carried out in nine main canals in nine villages and involved light deforestation, weed control and removal of silt in the canal section. The farmers harvested their maize crops between August and September Green grams and cowpeas matured quiuckly and were harvested earlier. On average, each acre produced about 15 bags of maize. Left: Ploughing land for cultivation Below left & right: Training on proper utilisation of fertiliser. A farmer spraying his maturing crops Bottom left and right: Distribution of seed storage containers. Maize crops almost ready for harvest Land preparation Farmers in Afgooye district had access to land but did not have enough capital to hire tractors for land preparation and critical farm inputs necessary to cultivate the land. To increase access to basic food and house hold purchasing power, Oxfam in partnership with Hijra supported 3,100 farming households with an agricultural rehabilitation support package that included seeds, tools, farming training, hire of tractors and provision of irrigation pumps. To begin with, 79 tractors were hired to plough 3,100 acres of farmland in ten villages in Afgooye district. This was done through the provision of 60 litres of fuel in return for three and a half tractor hours per acre. Following this, 171 irrigation pumps were distributed to the farmers. Due to scarcity of the Agricultural equipment, each irrigation pump was shared and owned by a group of ten farmers. All farmers will contribute fuel and maintenance costs from the sale of their produce to operate and maintain the pumps. The next step was to distribute 4,800 seed storage containers to the farmers. The high density plastic tanks are safe and durable compared to metallic drums and the traditional system known as Bakaar. In the Bakaar system, harvested crops were stored in underground manholes and suffered post harvest contamination. This was then followed by the provision of farm tools and equipment like knap sack sprays, digging hoes, spades and forks. Top: Canal rehabilitation in Lower Shebelle. These canals supply water from the Shebelle River to farms Top right: Seed distribution before cultivation 12 13

8 The Journey Ahead Assessments carried out by Oxfam and HIJRA in 2012 identified the main problems faced by vulnerable communities in Afrooye district in Lower Shebelle. Despite the continuing conflict and recurrent drought as well as logistical and security challenges, Oxfam and HIJRA responded promptly in collaboration with the community members. As a result, over 100,000 people affected by the conflict and drought received urgent humanitarian assistance. Their needs were met by improving access to safe and adequate water supply and sanitation facilities as well as improving access to income through cash relief. Building on this humanitarian response, farmers in the communities were supported with the necessary tools and equipment to cultivate their land and reap a bountiful harvest. This two pronged approach ensured that after the immediate humanitarian needs were met, the recovery actions including support to farmers were undertaken. This vital link between relief and early recovery is key in paving the road for the journey ahead towards building resilience to recurrent shocks. Previous page and below: Farmers admiring harvested maize crops and cowpea pods 14 15

9 Oxfam, Country Office, Somalia The Atrium, 3rd Floor, Chaka Rd, Kilimani P.O Box Nairobi, Kenya Tel: Website: Facebook: Oxfam, A just world without poverty 16 Copyright: Oxfam Novib/Oxfam Great Britain