• Hundreds of goats were distributed to the people to help them start over.
• Tens of hectares were restored for 250 families whose lands had been flooded.

As part of its early relief program to the victims of floods in the Middle Shebelle governorate in Somalia, QC implemented qualitative income-generating projects from which 400 families of the same governorate benefited.

Rehabilitation:

The projects included rehabilitation of the affected families and improvement of their life quality, in addition to supporting agriculture and shepherding. The program also included funding income-generating projects. For example, 750 goats were distributed to 150 families. Each family received 5 goats. This project was to enable them to get their ordinary lives back after the floods. The project also aimed at supporting shepherding and providing these families with a source of income that matched their previous professions.

QC has also restored agricultural lands in a total area of 250 hectares for 250 families who had worked in farming before the floods damaged their lands.

QC seeks to rehabilitate the agricultural and shepherding societies and start agricultural and shepherding businesses by supplying the workers with seeds and pesticides as well as manual cultivation instruments needed for local production. QC also helps them in their farmland restoration, and irrigation canals’ reformation. The program also supplied them with some cattle.

Terrible Immigration

The regions adjacent to the two rivers of Shebelle and Juba witnessed heavy rains in last October and November which led to the flooding of the rivers and caused a disastrous immigration of the inhabitants of the rivers’ banks. Middle Shebelle was mostly affected as most irrigation canals and flood control systems were damaged along the Shebelle River by these floods. Reports show that about 10,000 of the local inhabitants left their flooded cities, villages, and farms.

The objective QC had of the early relief project was to reach the local affected community in the governorate as it helped rehabilitate them in their crafts and professions. QC’s goal was to enable them to increase their daily income and enhance their life quality through a number of strategic projects including shops, production machinery, animals, and farmland restoration. This should facilitate their future confrontation to yearly floods. This project also seeks to restore artesian aquifers, reform schools and damaged clinics to help 93,000 people living in the region.

Tens of Thousands Beneficiaries

It is worth mentioning that QC has recently implemented various projects in Somalia including education, health, building mosques, and funding income-generating projects. Tens of thousands of Somalis around Somalia benefited from these projects. Of its construction projects in Puntland, QC inaugurated the reformation of 2 health centers and 2 preliminary schools at a cost of about 292,000 QR.

QC inaugurated the opening of 9 mosques, and 8 centers for memorization of Qur’an in 3 provinces in the north of Somalia: 3 mosques in the coastal province, 3 others in Burco, 1 in Awdal, and 2 in Hiran and Banaadir. It also built 8 centers for Qur’an memorization in Hiran, Banaadir, and Hargeisa. Thousands of Somalis shall benefit from these mosques and centers.

QC office in Somalia has also organized events of distributing sewing machines to 65 productive families in Mogadishu and Hargeisa city in Somaliland in cooperation with Jedoon Association for Woman and Child Development in Hargeisa and HINNA association in Mogadishu.

You can donate to support such projects through the link: Click here

“Atta’ El-Khier from Doha El-Khier” Initiative concluded its journey to Somalia. The initiative provided an urgent relief to the Somali people, including food baskets, medicines, and drinking water. 

The initiative provided food parcels to 10,000 Somali families in addition to medical assistance including, medical solutions, medical examinations of intestinal conditions, infectious diseases, malnutrition, and dehydration in children for 1000 persons in Buuhoodle, the most affected region of drought. Due to the lack of food, water, and medicines, many people have been died and millions of livestock were affected.  

Commitment and Cooperation

Mr. Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Shahwani, the head of Atta’ El-Khier initiative, said that the initiative mainly depended on the support of the Qatari philanthropists; and helping Somalis in their time of crises.

In supporting the initiative, Al Shahwani appreciated the efforts made by Qatar Charity (QC). It contributed to achieving Atta’ El-Khier goals by accessing to a new affected places as “Buuhoodle”. QC was the first to reach such places and help their brought-affected people. He pointed out that the initiative provided relief materials, Medical Care for Orphans, and contributed to drilling wells and providing drinking water.

Sustainable Projects

 The catastrophic situation in Somalia needs implementing sustainable projects as building houses and dams on floodwaters to provide potable water throughout the year. These projects can offer a decent life for Somalis, he added.

He also encouraged the philanthropists of Qatar and other countries to donate for the relief campaigns in Somalia, where the value of the food parcel does not exceed QR300, the cost of one medical convoy is between QR 60,000 to 80,000, as well as drilling artesian wells costs approximately  QR85,000 to QR275,000.

Common Objectives

For his part, Mr. Mohammed Al Ka’bi, Director of Relief Department in QC said: "QC has supported “Atta’ El- Khier” initiative because there are common objectives. The Somali people are in dire need of all forms of support. The drought urged QC to launch a campaign called "#Somalia Suffering and Hunger", where it launched emergency relief projects targeting the most affected areas. We appreciate the efforts of Atta’ El- Khier initiative delegation in this regard.

A deteriorating Health Situation

AbdulAleem Tolba, Director of the International Hospital in Hargeysa, Somaliland, addressed the effects of the lack of drinking water and the use of dirty water and their relations to the outbreak of diseases such as cholera. Large numbers of patients faced a difficulty in accessing to medical centers. This crisis is considered as the most horrific one in the history of Somalia. He mentioned a father whose five children died on their way before accessing the nearest medical center, which reflected the severity of the crisis in Somalia.

Alarming Statistics

Statistics have shown that 40% of Somalia's population are in need for food aid. 2.6 million people depend on humanitarian aid. 3 million people need an immediate food, and tens of thousands of children are threatened by the malnutrition.

QC has implemented a full-scale Relief Project in Somalia to distribute dry rations, benefiting thousands of drought-affected families in different parts of Somalia.

Food parcels were distributed to 4633 families in a number of areas of Somalia. Each parcel consists of 25 kg of rice, 25 kg of sugar, 25 kg of flour, 6 liters of oil, 2.5 kg of milk powder, and 2 kg of dates.

Timely Assistance

Mr. Faisal Al-Fahida, QC's EDO, said that QC continues to provide assistance to drought-affected areas in Somalia. With the holy month of Ramadan approaching, it has implemented a number of relief projects including the distribution of dry rations to thousands of drought-affected families.

A number of areas of Somalia have severely affected by drought including Mogadishu and such assistance to be both extremely timely and essential given the difficult humanitarian situation they are going through. We hope that such assistance will alleviate the harsh conditions they are experiencing, Al-Fahida added.

The beneficiaries thanked the philanthropists, Qatar State, and QC for their efforts and support.  

Atta Alkher

It is noteworthy that “Atta Alkher from Doha Alkher” initiative had provided emergency relief during its last visit to Somaila, included food parcels, drugs, and drinking water.  

The initiative had provided food parcels for 10000 Somali families as well as medical assistance including the distribution of medical solutions, administering medical examinations for internal diseases, malnutrition, and Dehydration.

A humanitarian delegation from QC has visited Somalia and studied the various aspects of the humanitarian situation there. It has launched major relief projects, including the distribution of daily meals for 7000 families.

Medical Conveys

As part of Emergency Relief Projects, QC dispatches medical convoys to affected areas of Somalia including Soomaaliland, Puntland, Muqdisho and southwest territories in order to reduce the spread of epidemics.  

Approximately 16,200 persons benefited from these medical services especially the regions that lost many persons and millions of livestock due to the lack of food, drugs and drinking water.

 Artesian wells will be drilled to provide drinking water for 4000 persons of the cholera and drought-affected areas