CARE Canada

Published purpose

February 2021 - Despite progress towards sustainable political stability, the impact of more than three decades of insecurity, exacerbated by frequently recurring drought, increasing seasonal flooding, an ongoing historic infestation of desert locusts, and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, has left much of the population without access to basic services and ever more vulnerable to the next shock. Internal displacement remains at record levels, with an estimated 2.6 million internally displaced people (IDPs) living in more than 2,400 sites across the country, and severe food insecurity is projected to increase in 2021, as a La Niña weather event is expected to bring renewed drought conditions early in the year. Altogether, an estimated 5.9 million people in Somalia will require humanitarian assistance in 2021. With GAC’s support, CARE is improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services and helping households meet essential needs amongst internally displaced persons, returnees, and host communities in Somalia’s drought- and conflict-affected Lower Juba region. Project activities include: (1) rehabilitating water points and distributing water and sanitation related non-food items in IDP communities; and (2) providing unconditional cash grants to vulnerable IDP, returnee, and host community households.