Somalia

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CARE's work in Somalia

CARE has been providing life-saving assistance to the Somali people since 1981. We currently work in the northern regions of Puntland and Somaliland and our main activities include water and sanitation, sustainable pastoralist activities, helping people set up small businesses, skills training and employment opportunities, primary school education (particularly for girls), adult literacy, teacher training, and developing civil society and the media. We work in partnership with national and international agencies, civil society leaders and local authorities to promote good governance and improve access to services and resources for vulnerable communities.

Conflict resolution

Somalia has been plagued by ongoing conflict for more than 30 years, causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee abroad or be displaced internally, and dividing and destroying communities. We use social accountability (bringing people together to have a say in decision-making) as a tool to build peace between communities and clans, and we incorporate conflict resolution into all of our work – for example, when we give a community the skills to build a well, we also help to end violent and long-standing disputes by bringing those involved together to find a resolution.

Helping vulnerable communities

Losing my husband and his income made us the poorest family in the village which meant we were one of the worst affected by the drought. I carried it all on my shoulders... I'm grateful for what CARE has done to support our lives during one of the hardest times. What we received was a lifeline for our family. - Hinda Mohamed

When the delayed and below normal Gu rainy season created drought conditions throughout much of Somalia in 2014, CARE provided 645 of the worst affected people in Badhan and 10 surrounding villages in Sanaag region with cash relief which enabled them to meet their immediate household needs and invest in the future.