International Rescue Committee UK

By Abdirahman Aden, IRC Somalia programme

The humanitarian situation in Somalia is getting more complex and more severe every year. Food insecurity and high malnutrition rates remain a serious concern - caused by the continued and combined effects of violent civil insecurity, subsequent internal displacement, prolonged drought and elevated commodity prices.

Where the IRC works in the Mudug region of central Somalia, the failure of rains has led to massive loss of livestock due to lack of grazing pasture and drinking water. Many villages and towns in this region now host destitute former pastoralists and other displaced households who have few (if any) coping mechanisms to support their families.

The IRC is therefore working in partnership with ECHO and the Food and Agriculture Organisation to support poor pastoralist households and provide them with lactating goats and sheep, as well as cash-for-work opportunities. This helps families replace the livestock lost to drought and disease, gives them nutritious milk for their children and provides cash to purchase basic household needs.

Since the inception of this initiative in October 2009, the IRC has already distributed a total of 5,200 goats and sheep in 12 locations across the Mudug region, benefitting 1,300 households.

One family to benefit is that of Fatuma Shidad Mursal and her husband Mohamud Muktar. Along with their nine children, the couple were displaced from Qoryoley on the outskirts of Mogadishu due to heavy fighting and they fled to Beyra in Mudug.

"The only thing I came with was my household items and very little cereals," remembers Fatuma. "When we arrived, we did not know where to start and how to cope with our new environment."

Mohamud managed to find casual work on a nearby irrigated farm, but it was hard for the displaced family to survive. The elders in Beyra therefore nominated the family to receive support from the IRC and in January 2010 they received four goats, two of which have already given birth at the time of writing!

"Once I have all my goats lactating, I expect to have enough milk for tea and, who knows, I may even start selling some in the market," says Fatuma.

Nuro Hassan - Fatuma's new neighbour - also received four goats from the IRC and has also seen them give birth.

"I now have six goats," says Nuro, "and I have stopped buying milk from the market. My two goats produce enough milk for tea and some for my young baby."

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