General data

ACF France's Mission

Launch date:1992
Local staff : 198
Expatriates : 7

Intervention places :

• Wajid (Bay, Bakool and Gedo Regions) – Suspended on November 28th 2011
• Mogadishu (Benadir Region)

Types of intervention :

• Nutrition, Health and Healthcare
• Water, Hygiene and Sanitation
• Food security and Livelihoods

Country key figures

Beneficiaries : 585,349

Population : 9,13 millions inhabitants (2009)

Life expectancy: 51 years (2010)
Sources : WHO, UNDP

Context

Somalia has been experiencing a protracted conflict since 1991. The political and security context significantly devolved in 2009 and 2010, leading to increased destabilization, specifically in south central. The continuous clashes in the country have had a devastating impact for the civilian population and lead to major displacements of people to the capital, as well as to the neighboring countries Ethiopia and Kenya.

A severe drought ravaged the Horn of Africa earlier this year particularly affecting Somalia. Food shortages, escalation of food prices and livestock de-capitalization lead to a humanitarian crisis.

While the Global Acute Malnutrition level has decreased according to a FSNAU study released early November 2011, it still is extremely high and well above emergency thresholds.

Somalia faces a sustained and complex humanitarian crisis due to a combination of escalated conflict, perennial drought and subsequent food insecurity, disease outbreaks. More worrying is that the escalating fighting and conflict is occurring in the same areas recording the greatest problems of food access and malnutrition. This  not only places additional burdens on the people already in crisis, but also makes it difficult for humanitarian relief to reach the vulnerable populations most in need of humanitarian and life saving interventions.
Restriction of humanitarian access in South Central Somalia is a major concern as millions of vulnerable people are in  need of life saving assistance.
The following three main issues of concern characterize Somalia’s humanitarian situation:

Sustained humanitarian crisis exacerbated by continued escalation of conflict, drought and disease outbreaks

The unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia is widespread. Somalia is currently (2011) facing the worst drought in 60 years. Approximately 2.85 million people in Somalia are in need of life saving humanitarian aid.
The situation in Somalia is characterized by high rates of acute malnutrition, above the emergency threshold. Emergency levels of acute malnutrition continue to be reported, and an estimated 1 in 3 children are reported to be acutely malnourished. The situation is likely to deteriorate in certain areas inaccessible to humanitarian organizations, where most of the estimated 250,000 children reside.
It is estimated that there are 1.46 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Somalia, majority of whom are displaced due to conflict or as a result of drought. The Afgooye Corridor currently hosts 410,000 IDPs and has one of the highest concentrations of IDPs in the world. IDPs remain the single largest population in crisis, with 80 per cent residing in areas difficult to access for humanitarian  actors.

Collapse of basic public health services (health, education, water and sanitation facilities, infrastructures)

Somalia lacks adequate basic health services and health care in Somalia is mainly provided by private individuals with limited capacities, in addition to the few UN/INGOs present that implement basic medical services. Many of these actors had to leave the country due to the deterioration of the security situation. This seriously undermines the already fragile medical care situation. Vulnerable communities’ access to adequate water has been undermined due to lack of water infrastructure, inadequate preparedness for drought and poor water quality at the source and households’ level.

A general lack of economical mechanisms leading to poor food access and availability, income opportunities, basic assets and capital availability

Access to food is a problem for both rural and urban population.  Somalia is facing a new emerging urban food security crisis due to sustained hyperinflation of food and non-food items. Prices are still increasing and this trend is likely to continue. More and more urban households are falling into Acute Food and Livelihood Crisis  as they cannot cope with the sustained increases in food prices, which are significantly eroding their purchasing power. This trend is not improving and the situation could further worsen.

ACF in Somalia

ACF has been working in Somalia for 19 years, implementing Nutrition, Health and Healthcare; Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); and Food Security and Livelihood programmes, in Benadir, Bakool, Bay and Gedo regions. ACF was one of the only international humanitarian organizations implementing life saving programmes in the region of Wajid until November 28th 2011.

The mission had 2 operational bases; Mogadishu in Benadir Region and Wajid in Bakool Region.

On Monday November 28, the Local Authorities in Bay, Bakool, Gedo, Hiraan, Lower Juba, Middle Juba, Lower Shabelle and Galgaduud -South-Central Somalia -  banned 9 International NGOs, including ACF (Action against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim), from working in the area. One local NGO as well as 6 UN agencies have been expelled as well.

Before this event, ACF had answered to the current crisis by scaling up its activities both in Wajid an Mogadishu.

ACF Somalia’s positioning for 2011-2013 is driven by three key strategic priorities to address the three main humanitarian issues outlined  above.

1. Provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to persons affected by the humanitarian catastrophe in South Central Somalia. (To address the Sustained humanitarian crisis exacerbated by continued escalation in conflicts, drought and food insecurity).
2. Provide vulnerable population with a minimum package of life sustaining basic services. (To address the Collapse of basic public health services).
3. Restore livelihoods of vulnerable populations (To address the General lack of economical mechanisms leading to poor food access and availability, income opportunities, basic assets and capitals availability).

Nutrition Programme

 
ACF is working to improve the nutritional status of different vulnerable groups through selective feeding programmes implemented in Wajid and Mogadishu regions, comprised of Therapeutic Feeding Centres and Outpatient Therapeutic Programmes targeting children under the age of 5 years.

The main interventions are:

• Management of Acute and Moderate Malnutrition
• Improve coverage of the ACF therapeutic feeding programme.
• Expanded Immunization Programme and Mother and Child Programme
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programmes

ACF is increasing access to safe water as well as improving the hygiene and sanitation situation in its intervention areas through:

• Well rehabilitation
• Latrine construction
• Hygiene promotion
• Water points chlorination
• Emergency Water provision

Food Security & Livelihoods Programmes

In 2011, in response to the humanitarian crisis, ACF  launched a large scale food assistance project to improve access to food for the vulnerable populations in Bay-Bakool-Gedo regions of South-Central Somalia.

ACF also is part of the cash consortium and has been implementing cash transfer  programmes that aims at increasing access to food,  and essential non food items for the population affected by drought.

Funding

• SDC
• DFID
• ECHO
• Private funds