Somalia is facing a historic drought that is affecting 8.3 million people across the country, particularly children and women. To help address this crisis, UNICEF Somalia has received a shipment of approximately 30 metric tons of medicine and medical supplies from the UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen. These supplies will be used to support lifesaving health services in the most affected areas. UNICEF Somalia/Hirsi UNICEF Somalia team receive the shipment of medicine and medical supplies. At the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, the shipment was received by Dr. Maryan Mohammed Hussein, State Minister of Health, and Wafaa Saeed, UNICEF Somalia Representative. "The arrival of this shipment is critical for Somali children and families who are facing significant challenges due to the drought and associated outbreaks of cholera and measles," said Wafaa Saeed. Children and women make up over 80% of Somalia's displaced population, and children are among the most severely affected, with 5.1 million in need of humanitarian assistance. These challenges are compounded by outbreaks of cholera and measles, which further increase vulnerability. By providing essential medicines, midwifery kits and other medical supplies, UNICEF and its partners will be able to reach approximately 1.3 million people in need and ensure that they have access to lifesaving health services. Dr. Maryan Mohammed Hussein expressed the government's appreciation for UNICEF's continuous efforts to save the lives of children impacted by the drought. "This medical supply kit consists of medicines and supplies for mothers and childcare and emergency kits to reach drought-affected areas. It is meant to support our Somali people in need of humanitarian assistance," she said. UNICEF Somalia/Hirsi Medicine and medical supplies arrival. UNICEF is working with the Government of Somalia and implementing partners to target famine-risk districts that are particularly vulnerable as many children, mothers, and people with illnesses or malnutrition in these areas may be unable to access healthcare. UNICEF's top priority is to sustain a robust response to this crisis and provide an integrated package of services, including lifesaving health care, immunizations, treatment for severe acute malnutrition and access to safe and adequate water and sanitation to the most vulnerable children. "This shipment of medicine and medical supplies is in addition to our ongoing efforts to respond to the drought and provide necessary assistance to those in need," said Saeed. Thanks to the generous support of donors like the UK Government (FCDO) and USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), this shipment of medicine and medical supplies will help to ensure that vulnerable children and their communities in hard-to-reach areas have access to essential healthcare services during this critical time. Link to the original story. 

    Economy and private sector | UNIDO supports study tours for Somali companies and officials Officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) travelled to Italy, supported by United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), to meet their European counterparts, including business associations, financial institutions, and the Italian Trade Agency.  Separately, a group of Somali entrepreneurs participated in a two-day off-grid renewable energy systems exhibition in Germany, which focused on wind and hydropower systems. This was an opportunity to source clean and cheap energy. Furthermore, the Somali entrepreneurs toured a dairy/biogas farm and companies providing cooling solutions for the fishery, drip irrigation, water pumps and borehole drilling. Most importantly, the Somali companies engaged with their German counterparts in B2B, which allowed for knowledge exchange while talks were ongoing for possible technology sourcing. Click here for more   Humanitarian | OCHA facilitates humanitarian visit to Galkayo In December, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) facilitated the visit of the Humanitarian Coordinator and OCHA Head of Office to Galkayo to assess the humanitarian situation and the ongoing response.  The mission met with partners, authorities and people affected by the drought in Degaab and Ayah displacement sites in north and south Galkayo and discussed collective efforts to ramp up operations urgently. Partners informed the Humanitarian Coordinator that frontloaded funding is critical as the country enters the dry Jilaal season in January when humanitarian needs are expected to increase. More than 180,000 people are displaced in this area due to drought and ongoing conflict. Click here for more   International Cooperation | UN at high-level conference on climate resiience On 6 December, the Federal Government of Somalia, the United Nations, and the League of Arab States (LAS) co-hosted a high-level conference on drought and climate resilience in Somalia. Held in Cairo, Egypt, the conference brought together United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes, LAS member states, Arab NGOs, and financial institutions to respond to Somalia’s dire humanitarian conditions and climate projections. The conference focused on emergency life-saving needs and medium- and longer-term sustainability to help break the cycle of recurrent crises. Click here for more   Maternal health | UNFPA supports 136 midwifery graduates On 11 December, 136 midwives from schools supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Global Canada Affairs graduated in Mogadishu. On this day, a new midwifery curriculum for Somalia was also launched.  During this time of drought in Somalia, there is an increasing need for life-saving healthcare services, especially for pregnant women and mothers. Qualified midwives provide critical quality maternal healthcare before, after, and during pregnancy and save the lives of women and children. UNFPA continues supporting midwives and the midwifery profession in Somalia to ensure better health for all. Click here for more   Health care | UNOPS facilitates the first National Blood Bank Somalia’s blood shortages and storage capacity make safe blood supply and transfusions difficult. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is helping Somalia build its first fully functional National Blood Bank to address this problem. UNOPS is designing, building, and equipping the National Blood Bank with more than $3 million from UNFPA and technical help from WHO. The blood bank in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, will help secure and maintain a safe and sufficient blood supply. Green technologies and sustainable ideas are being integrated into the building. Solar panels will supply the facility with clean energy. UNOPS is also collaborating with a local construction company to create jobs. Gender and culture are taken into account when designing the blood bank. It will have separate blood donation areas for men and women, donor lounges, changing rooms, and bathrooms. Click here for more   Youth | UN-Habitat to construct a youth centre in Baidoa UN-Habitat held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a youth centre in Baidoa, South West State of Somalia. One-stop youth centres are the result of a partnership between UN-Habitat and local governments. They operate on a principle of an integrated approach to youth development, providing youth with safe spaces in urban settings where they can meet and access information and resources critical to youth-led development, including peacebuilding, research, and policy development. The government of Sweden funds this initiative. Click here for more   Durable solutions | UNHCR hands over 88 transitional shelters in Dollow In Dollow, Ladaan, internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, southern Somalia, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) handed over 88 emergency transitional shelters to vulnerable displaced families. The project is implemented by UNHCR partner African Volunteers for Relief and Development (AVORD). As the effects of climate change, persistent insecurity, armed conflict, extreme poverty, and soaring food prices intensify, the resilience of the displaced families erodes, increasing their vulnerability to shocks. UNHCR will continue providing life-saving assistance and durable solutions such as transitional shelters to those in most need across Somalia. Click here for more   Prison reform | UNODC supports prison system’s compliance with human rights In December, as part of its mandate to assist Somalia’s prison system compliance with human rights and UN standards, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supported the development of the Parole Policy in Hargeisa, the rehabilitation works in the Berbera Central Prison and vocational training for female prisoners in Gabiley. UNODC also facilitated visits to the Garowe Central Prison and the Mogadishu Prison and Court Complex, where the International Monitoring Committee assessed the prisoners’ living conditions. Click here for more   Migration | IOM supports photography exhibitions in Hargeisa A one-week photo exhibition titled ‘Where life takes us’ welcomed viewers in Hargeisa around the International Migrants Day celebrated on 18 December. The exhibition featured stories of migrants and returnees across the Horn of Africa region. The photography exhibition aimed to inform the public about the challenges that push people to move to the Horn of Africa whilst highlighting the unique role that migrants play in social and economic development. The stories, collected across three years with the support of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), also offered a window into the migration dynamics in the region. As part of the exhibition, IOM also hosted a one-day storytelling workshop with returnees and students from Hargeisa University to foster cohesion through participatory exercises to provide them with a space to express their thoughts and feelings about migration in a safe manner. Click here for more   Emergency | FAO supports hard-to-reach rural communities with cash In Somalia, communities in hard-to-reach rural areas suffer the brunt of natural shocks such as droughts. Interventions are scarce in these areas forcing the communities to migrate to urban centres, hoping to receive aid or find ways to sustain themselves. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Kingdom supported thousands of vulnerable families with emergency cash transfers, targeted at some of the hardest hit and most difficult-to-access areas of Southern Somalia, such as Beletweyne, Afgoye and Xurdur districts.  “This drought is a long one. It has affected our livelihoods enormously, and some of the people in the village fled to urban centres,” said Amina Mohamed from Qoydo village, Beletweyne, one of the vulnerable community members who received the unconditional cash transfer under this project. Click here for more   16-Days of Activism | UN Women advocate against gender-based violence UN Women Somalia spearheaded the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign under the theme “Unite to end violence against women and girls” to strengthen and galvanise gender mainstreaming in Somalia. This year, during the campaign, men and women championing women’s rights have committed to increasing advocacy efforts to prevent violence against women and girls.  UN Women Somalia supported businesswomen and owners of small businesses such as restaurants, handicrafts and tailoring by giving them a platform to exhibit their products and skills and meet and showcase their ideas with the international community.√ Click here for more   Vaccinations | UNICEF vaccination campaign reached 3 million children In November, the Ministry of Health and Human Services, World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) conducted an integrated nationwide campaign that resulted in vaccinating over 2.3 million children aged 6 – 59 months against measles to prevent disease outbreaks that are more frequent during droughts such as Somalia is experiencing. During the 5-day campaign, 2.6 million children received vaccinations against polio, vitamin A supplementation and deworming medication. The campaign comes against a backdrop of drastically increased measles cases in 2022 (16,880) compared to 2021 (7,494). For the November campaign, UNICEF delivered over 3.5 million doses of measles and polio vaccines and over 3 million doses of vitamin A and deworming tablets while providing technical support to the Ministry of Health on cold chain and vaccine management. UNICEF also supported the social mobilisation network (SOMNET) to accelerate awareness of the campaign and increase vaccine uptake. Click here for more   Human rights | UN observes Human Rights Day In a statement marking the Human Rights Day 2022, the UN Deputy Special Representative, Anita Kiki Gbeho, said that Somalia has, and continues to make significant achievements to promote and protect human rights, including those rights enshrined in the Provisional Constitution, which guarantees rights and freedoms for all Somalis. The United Nations in Somalia remains committed to supporting Somalia’s efforts to promote and protect human rights for the benefit of the Somali people. Read the complete statement here. As part of activities marking Human Rights Day, the Somali Youth Civic Organisation (SYCO) organised panel discussions in Mogadishu, Afgoye and Beledweyne. Supported by the UN, the events brought together some 150 women, men, elders, youth, persons with disabilities, minority groups and business community representatives who discussed critical challenges in promoting human rights in Somalia. Participants highlighted the importance of finding ways to prevent human rights violations; they discussed the role of the government, civil society, and international bodies in improving the situation of human rights in Somalia. Click here for more

Belet Weyne – It is 6:00 a.m. and Mohamed Dhicis is up and ready for work. Dressed in a thick, white cotton canvas suit, which covers his entire body, he walks into the apiary housing tens of thousands of bees. When he reaches the beehives, he kneels and remains in place, contemplating the swirling activity before him. After a few minutes, using a metal tool, the 19-year-old opens the top part of the first box. He delicately pulls out the honey-soaked net within, almost as if he were opening a box of chocolates. Immediately, the atmosphere is filled with a buzzing sound, and thousands of bees fly out and around the box. Some of them, as if stuck with glue, stay on the net, making honey. This honey is what sustains the livelihoods of Mr. Dhicis and the four other beekeepers that work for him at the Dhicis Production Company, which he founded with the support and guidance of Somalia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MoCI) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The support comes under the umbrella of UNIDO’s agro-technology project, which helps aspiring Somali businesspeople develop micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and increase their access to finance, and also provides institutional support to the MoCI. The idea In 2020, in his birth city of Belet Weyne, located in the Hiran region of central Somalia, Mr. Dhicis heard about a credit facility that UNIDO had established to help SMEs access financing. The facility was established in Belet Weyne through UNIDO’s Productive Sectors Development Joint Programme for Somalia. Mr. Dhicis had been working as a small-scale bee farmer. After learning about the programme and attending a two-week enterprise management training on how to start a business, he decided to jump straight in. “I love honey, and I have a background in agricultural production,” he says. “So I said to myself: why not give it a try?” After the training, he received business counselling from UNIDO that involved preparing his own business plan to start his honey-making business, which he presented to the credit facility. He then received $5,000 to help make his dream a reality. When Mr. Dhicis started in 2020, he had 25 beehives. Today, he has 100 and hopes to grow this number to 200. Behind Mr. Dhicis’ bee business lies an EDU, or Enterprise Development Unit, that UNIDO helped established in Belet Weyne through the Somali Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and with the financial support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. This EDU is one of an extensive network of EDUs established across Somalia, within the structure of the SCCI. EDUs provide a link between entrepreneurs and the private sector across the country’s Federal Member States, and help Somali entrepreneurs access investors, credit facilities, skills training and business counselling. More than bees Mr. Dhicis is not alone in benefitting from the EDU. He attended his UNIDO-supported business induction training in Belet Weyne with 64 other entrepreneurs, all of whom had existing businesses or start-up ideas. Of the 64, 13 SME projects received bank loans amounting to a combined total of $100,000. Three of them are led by women. The possibility of financial support is just one factor. According to UNIDO, some of the Somali entrepreneurs are simply interested in understanding business management, learning more about inventories, or rethinking how to run their business through faster production, cost reductions, and other methods. The two-week training programme provides the entrepreneurs with enough knowledge to establish a new business or expand an existing one. The training is followed by one-to-one business counselling offered by UNIDO-trained local experts. The individual counselling programme consists of on-site advice and guidance to start-ups and existing enterprises. To existing business owners, this means better management skills, more control over their budgets and a capacity to diagnose business problems. To start-ups, it means reading the market, generating business ideas and knowing how to communicate these to investors. “When you look at the early stages of an economy’s development, there are certain basic products that you need to have in order for society to live, work and eat. You also need the infrastructure to make the system work. And, in addition, you need capital investment to kickstart that development, which usually comes from the government. UNIDO has created the network, the system and the capacity for that investment to happen,” says Ygor Scarcia, an industrial development expert with UNIDO who also serves as its representative in Somalia. Professor Cisse Halane is the SCCI’s Deputy Managing Director and is in charge of the network of EDUs. According to him, the network helps entrepreneurs receive loans that they will have to pay back – a key element that moves Somalia away from the traditional aid dilemma in which receivers do not have the incentive to make money, knowing that aid will be coming no matter what. In addition to breaking the aid cycle, Professor Halane said: “That money coming back to the bank is then going to be given to another businessperson, leading to a ripple effect beneficial to Somalia’s economy.” Business matchmaking Part of the services provided through the EDUs involve technology promotion. The trainees are not considered to be beneficiaries, but rather business clients, ensuring the sustainability of the EDU network. Those who graduate from the training receive support with investments, business matchmaking and technology sourcing. Amina-Gaalooge Osman, a 34-year-old entrepreneur, started an agricultural cooperative that used manual labour. Thanks to UNIDO’s help in connecting her to local banks and to Somali-Italian business firms, today Ms. Osman sells tractors imported from Italy to Somalia’s farmers. It is the first time in recent history that the farming business in Somalia has gained access to such modern agricultural machinery ― vital in propelling the economy. “If you have the idea, they [UNIDO and the MoCI] will help you,” Ms. Osman says. “The real value comes when they connect you directly to international companies like the ones we are now dealing with. If you have an organization like UNIDO that can help you make that connection for you, that can help you with the credit facility, you have a way forward. You can basically make your dreams come true.” From aid to development Both UNIDO and the MoCI are investing in Somalia’s more traditional agro-industrial sectors, which the country relies on to create jobs and expand economic opportunities. Their overarching goal is to help Somalia develop its business sector and thus shift away from a heavy reliance on international aid for temporary relief. The key for making this happen? Partnerships. “To me, aid is problematic. We have the land, we have the human capital, and we have the entrepreneurial spirit,” says Professor Halane. “Partnerships are the only way forward.” UNIDO’s Somalia Productive Sectors Development Programme promotes interventions at the macro, meso and micro levels of the Somali economy to promote infrastructure investment and capital investment, stimulate sustainable production, avoiding post-harvest losses, developing markets access for an inclusive economic growth and job opportunities for all. “The goal is to reinforce Somalia’s economic resilience while reducing the country’s vulnerability to shocks,” Mr. Scarcia said. “And we do this by stimulating economic growth and by developing Somali human capital.” The thousands of bees buzzing around Mr. Dhicis at his firm’s apiary are the result of that goal. He smiles at seeing the bees’ nets, and twists shut ten jars of honey that he places carefully, one by one, in a large carton box, which he seals to prepare for transport to Belet Weyne town for the next morning’s market.

Mogadishu – Ahmed Abdullahi Ahmed believes in education. He believes in its power to transform the lives of his fellow Somalis and in its capacity to help transform Somalia. His belief is grounded in his personal experience. “Until I was older, I had no idea how tough it was for my parents to pay for my school fees and other necessary things for my education, such as books and uniforms, so I can easily appreciate the plight of people who did not even have parents who could afford to pay for their education, and this is what inspired me to work in educational development,” Mr. Ahmed says. The education activist was born in 1993, in the early years of Somalia’s descent into civil war. The conflict meant his schooling was delayed. At the age of nine, he was finally enrolled at the Al-Ma’mun Al-Azhar Primary School in Mogadishu. However, just five years into his schooling, he and his family fled the worsening violence in the capital and moved to Dhusamareb, the capital city of Galgaduud. “I was disappointed, but I could not stop my dream of getting an education. I was eventually able to finish my high schooling in 2012 in Dhusamareb,” Mr. Ahmed says. The need for patience continued. Just as with his primary and secondary education, there was a further delay with his tertiary education – Mr. Ahmed had to wait three years before he could start university, partly because he was responsible for helping support his family, which he did by working in small business enterprises. In 2015, he enrolled at SIMAD University in Mogadishu, graduating four years later with a bachelor’s degree in public administration. He was able to afford the education thanks to his brother, who paid his tuition fees. Reflecting on his education journey, he noted the one common thread throughout: a lack of financial resources to afford his education. At the same time, he was very aware that he was fortunate as, even though it was a struggle, he was ultimately able to graduate. A vocation While completing his studies, Mr. Ahmed also started teaching children living in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) around Mogadishu. “I began helping children who did not go to school, first and foremost with the basic skills of reading and writing,” he recalls. “I felt that every time I taught a lesson I fulfilled a vital duty to society.” The experience helped shape his views. Upon graduating, Mr. Ahmed figured out his vocation: promoting education so that as many Somali children as possible would be able to access this life-changing experience. So, in 2019, he returned to Dhusamareb. While in 2007 he and his family had fled there to escape the fighting in Mogadishu, this time it was a voluntary decision – he was determined to help his local community, inspired by his teaching experience with IDPs. Mr. Ahmed established Gargaar (transl.: ‘Help’) in early 2020, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to helping aspiring students, aged between five and 18, from disadvantaged and impoverished backgrounds. "When I finished university, I returned to the city that saved my life and founded an organisation to help poor people, especially in rural areas and in IDP camps where there is no access to basic services, including education," he says.   The 29-year-old notes that, while the Galmudug school system may cater to the majority of the Federal Member State’s students, there were many who cannot access formal education structures – such as young IDPs and members of other marginalised communities – and that was where Gargaar had a role to play. Gargaar focuses on education and health. Made up of 33 staff, and boosted by many volunteers, the NGO does this by helping the disadvantaged with the cost of schooling and medical care, especially in rural areas and in IDP camps. “In 12 areas that fall under Dhusamareb, we have assisted close to 1,000 students to achieve their educational dreams and also established several schools. We have supported teachers and provided them with resources such as training and salaries. So far, around 847 pupils – of which 321 are girls – have benefitted from our support,” he says. Support and recognition The NGO’s resources are limited, but with financial support from local residents of Dhusamareb, especially youth and civil servants, the organisation has been able to raise enough funds for its projects.   "We receive a small amount of money from the people in the surrounding areas, from government officials and from the Ministry of Education. We also get donations from the schools’ neighbours who also devote their time to help manage the schools,” says Mr. Ahmed. In addition to financial support from the local community in Dhusamareb, Gargaar also benefits from a network of committed volunteers. “The idea of promoting education in rural areas and IDP camps that led my friends and I to start Gargaar in 2019 now attracts 164 young people who willingly participate in the organisation’s activities. They come on separate days and help in various ways, including motivating teachers and sometimes participating in teaching students,” Mr. Ahmed says. The NGO’s efforts have been recognised locally. “Gargaar is a youth organisation that is a pillar for the development of education in Galmudug. It is providing a much-needed service in the field of education – it is hard to find such dedication,” says Galmudug’s Minister of Education, Mohamed Hashi Dhore. Gargaar’s success in educational outreach to young people in Dhusamareb’s marginalised communities has led to further approaches. In 2020, Galmudug’s Ministry of Health invited Gargaar to work together on health promotion activities in the city. Mr. Ahmed and his collaborators did not hesitate in joining since, he says, “from our interactions with people of different communities we knew we could guide the government towards where services were needed most.” The relationship has since blossomed. "In 2021, with the support of Galmudug’s Ministry of Health and youth volunteers, we succeeded in building and equipping the first maternal and child health centre in Dhusamareb, with Care International paying the salaries of those working at the centre,” says Mr. Ahmed. “We now employ up to nine health workers and aim to double that number by this coming year." “We hope that our work will soon spread through the entire Galmudug State,” he adds. Education for youth The United Nations believes that quality education equips children to succeed in life, providing them with life skills to take care of themselves and fulfill their potential. In addition, upholding the right to education promotes normalcy and can give hope for the future, not only for children but also for their families and communities. However, for many children in Somalia, going to school and receiving a good education is still a dream out of their reach. More than three million children in Somalia are out of school. In many areas across the country, parents are not able to fund their children’s education. In addition to poverty, long distances to school, safety concerns, social norms favouring boys’ education, marginalisation and lack of teachers, particularly female teachers, and the low availability of sanitation facilities stop parents from enrolling children, especially girls, in school. Children in nomadic pastoralist communities are constantly on the move and often denied their right to an education. The ongoing conflict and natural disasters also continue to displace children and families, making it very difficult for them to continue schooling. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works closely with Somali educational authorities to improve children’s access to schools, enhance learning and skills and ensure that children in emergencies and on the move are protected and have opportunities to access education. Link to original story.