Somalia: Communities unite to protect the most vulnerable
“We all know each other in this camp and that is how we ensure that the most vulnerable in our community get the help they need”
By Sara Cuevas Gallardo and Fatima Hirsi
Saadia, a mother of six, is one of 24,000 people living in the Ladan settlement for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the town of Dolow in southwestern Somalia. Many residents of the settlement were forced from their homes by conflict and a devastating cycle of droughts and floods.
Following the death of her husband and pregnant with her sixth child, Saadia moved to the settlement in 2023 where she sold firewood and lemons to make ends meet. The money she made was little and not enough to support her family.
In January of this year, Saadia was one of over 52,000 vulnerable people in Somalia selected to receive monthly cash transfers to enable them to start a new life.
Implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) with funding from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), Saadia received US$110 every month for three months.
“The money came at a time when I was really suffering,” says Saadia. “I prefer cash assistance [compared to food assistance] because you can keep it in your pocket and use it as needed.”
Saadia used her money to buy clothes and to pay for medical treatment for her children. She also bought a sheep and hopes to generate income from breeding.
Recipients of the cash transfers were identified using a data-driven and community-led approach to ensure the most vulnerable people — such as orphans, people living with disabilities and single-parent families — were prioritized for assistance.
Elected committees from the community were entrusted to identify the most vulnerable. Once identified, WFP used vulnerability indicators and additional verification layers to ensure the identified families were selected correctly.
“We all know each other in this camp and that is how we ensure that the most vulnerable in our community get the help they need,” says Shamsa, another resident of the Ladan IDP settlement who also received cash assistance.
Thanks to generous funding from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), WFP supported 53,046 severely food insecure people (8,841 families) in the Dolow, Dhusamareeb, Baidoa and Beletweyne districts of Somalia with cash assistance to the value of US$3.1 million for a period of three months.
