International Blue Crescent has been helping Somali IDPs for months. They have helped them both in kind and in cash. Some of the projects it has implemented so far include:
1) Water trucking in Bay, Bakool and Banadir regions. 4,000 beneficiaries are benefiting from this project. 2,000 in Bay and Bakool, and 2,000 in Banadir.
2) Food distributions projects in Bay, Bakool and Banadir regions. They have been giving cereals such as rice, maize, sorghum, and wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil and pulses to IDPs in those areas every month.
3) Maintenance of 14 host community water boreholes with repair Kits for affected IDPs.
4) Sanitation facility—construction of 400 latrines for IDP's in Bay, Bakool, and Banadir.
5) Hygiene and Sanitation awareness in IDP camps and host community two times per month.
6) Cash grant to improve household income of affected female-headed household beneficiaries.
7) Provision of Health care at Banadir Hospital and Korsan Camp.
These projects demonstrate IBC’s continuing commitment to help the people of Somalia as they strive to find a lasting solution to decades of conflict in the country. With those projects it has created smiling faces in Somalia.
IBC shows that it is determined to extend help to Somali IDPs.
Particularly, the water trucking project has been going on for months in Bay, Bakool and Banadir regions. One thing that IBC noted in those areas during the implementation of this project was the need for water collection and storage facilities. IDPs in those areas used utensils to fetch water.
In light of that International Blue Crescent with the help of its local partners distributed jerry cans to IDPs in Camps in Somalia. Together with this each family was given six bars of soap.
The distribution came at a time when the vice president of IBC (Mr. Muzaffer Baca) and representative of the donor (Mr. Abdullahi Hassan) were touring the camps in Mogadishu. The project was implemented by IRS (IBC’s main implementing partner in the region).
3,120 jerry cans (20 liters) were distributed to beneficiaries of 1,560 HH in 8 IDP Camps under the districts of Hodan, Bondhere and Wadajir districts. Each household received 2 jerry cans with 20 liters in capacity. All the distribution process were done as per planned without any challenges. The criteria used was house to house registration which took 2 days before the distribution and alongside with community mobilization before the distribution started .The staff were looking those who cannot afford to buy jerry cans but have that knowledge of using jerry cans like women headed households, children, old people and other vulnerable people in the community members.
IBC vice president coordinating the distribution of jerry cans with IRS coordinator Mr. Jama Hashi and IRS representative Mr. Abdulahi Hassan at Kalson Camp.
People need vessels to collect water, to store it and to use it for washing, cooking and bathing. Hygiene messages were also fixed on the walls of the camps that these vessels should be clean and hygienic.
The jerry cans distributed were of big sizes (20 litres) but IBC staff also recognized the need for water storage facilities that are easy to carry and appropriate to local needs and habits, in terms of size, shape and design. They also noted the need for smaller or specially designed water carrying containers for children, disabled people, and older people in the camps.
In the side of cash grant, Mr. Muzaffer and Mr. Abdullahi Hassan have been present at the venue where cash grant to improve household income of affected female-headed household beneficiaries was being implemented. Two hundred women were selected from four IDP camps.
They were involved in various small businesses. IBC wanted to encourage the women to continue with their self sufficiency activities. The women would use the money to expand their business and to repay their debts. The vice president of IBC has promised to continue to support micro-financing for women entrepreneurs in Somali IDP camps so that they can achieve self reliance. Through these programs, the displaced people of Somalia are taking back control of their lives and working hard to create better futures for themselves and their children.
In the latrine section of the WASH sector, IBC has noted that the IDP camps do not have adequate sanitation facilities and are practicing open defecation that not only cause environmental pollution, but also pose a big threat to sanitation related infection hence urgent need for latrines construction. To respond to that IBC together with its local partner IRS have constructed 200 latrines in Banadir and 200 more in Bay and Bakool making the total number 400.
The 400 latrines completed are currently in use under the Districts of Bond dhere, Hodan, Shangani and wadajir in Banadir Region and Bay & Bakool. The construction of latrines involved excavation of pits 2.5 meters long with diameter of 0.8 meters and installation of drums to support the loose soil in the substructure and casting pavement slab with proper slope (gradient) and proper proportion of aggregates in the ratio of 1:2:4, iron sheet covered in the substructure and have hand washing facilities with some hygiene messages to improve hygiene practices in the communities. Marked with implemented by Islamic Relief and funded IBC as visibility and publicity.
The latrines have places where IDPs would wash their hands after using them. They also showed hygiene related messages on the latrines that are telling IDPs not to excrete in the open but to use latrines and to wash their hands with soap after using the latrines. As a result of these messages, the percentage of IDPs using the latrines increased and those that showed good sanitation practices increased.
IBC together with its local partner IRS conducted community training on Hygiene promotion. The four days training was held for 40 community volunteers including camp management committee members and for the draught affected IDPs within the camps. The mode of training focused on PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation) whereby Focus group discussion, Question/Answer sessions will be emphasized for overall participation using Adult participatory methodology. The overall objectives of this training were to raise awareness of IDPs on poor hygiene and related diseases and to build the capacity of hygiene promotion volunteers to promote good hygiene practices within their community. The project provided refreshments to increase the community participation and boost their morale with aim of having community behavior change. The training covered under the topics of Definition of Hygiene, Hygiene behaviors, Personal Hygiene, Safe disposal of human excreta, Environment and Domestic Hygiene, water Hygiene and food hygiene. The last day of the training were attended by CRS and IBC officials.
The official also visited various other places such as Banadir Hospital, Korsan Schools, water trucking points of Maruf Relief Foundation (MRF) and Islamic Relief Somalia (IRS). They also talked to the IDPs, listened to their desperate conditions and the impact that the projects implemented so far had on their lives.
