ACT Rapid Response Payment: IDPs affected by the Somalia conflict
Elisabeth Gouel
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Rapid Response Payment No. 1/2007
Funds Sent To: Norwegian Church Aid
Amount Sent: US$ 48,900
Date: 2 January 2007
Details of Payment
Emergency: Assistance to IDPs affected by the Somalia conflict
Date of Emergency: January 2007
Implementing partner: Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)
Details of the Emergency: Already ravaged by intra and inter-clan strife since the fall of Said Barre's regime in 1991, Somalia is faced with a new political challenge and the consequence of it may even be more devastating. The effect of the recently sparked war between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) on the population has yet to be assessed but, already, many displaced people are on the move to different directions. The Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) field office in Gedo has reported that as many as 10,000 families have recently arrived in Gedo from Baidoa and the surrounding places, where the recent fighting started. It is also reported that many other internally displaced persons (IDPs) are on the move towards the neighbouring countries, mainly to Kenya and Ethiopia.
These are worrying developments in a country already suffering from the abyss of lawlessness and widespread hunger, disease and general devastation. Indications are that a grim humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Somalia and now is the time that all people will need to rise up to meet the challenge.
In addition to the man induced calamities, Gedo, NCA's target area, has since 2004 experienced severe drought situation and to add to the misery, an equally severe flooding has devastated large parts of Southern Somalia this year. The tenacity of the Somalia people to survive against all odds is admirable but they may have now reached a breaking point and unless action of a huge proportion is urgently taken, a catastrophe of an imaginable magnitude is in the making.
Purpose of Response: The current response aims to mitigate the emergency and survival needs of the IDPs in Gedo region. NCA is collaborating with WFP to supply the IDPs with their food needs and the current proposal will be solely for the provision of non-food items such as plastic sheets, blankets and cooking utensils. NCA has developed a standard kit for emergency interventions of this nature, which it can also rapidly deploy and mobilise.
Beneficiary information and location of response : NCA plans to intervene in the new IDP settlements in Gedo region and will make a strategic choice by targeting the most vulnerable households. Even though the exact locations of these settlements are not yet known, indications are that many IDPs are congregating around the existing towns in Gedo particularly in Garbaharrey, Bardera, Dollow, Bullo Hawa and El-Wak. Nevertheless, NCA will make efforts so that the IDPs that are also reported to be settling in remote locations will not be missed out from the intervention.
Proposed Assistance: The current proposal will complement the effort that NCA has started from its own emergency funds with regards to the provision of non-food items. The NCA intervention (with a budget of USD 40,000) aims to supply the standard NCA survival kit to 750 IDP families. With this proposal, therefore, NCA hopes to extend the provision of non-food items to benefit 1,000 more IDP families.
Implementation Period: The implementation period will be one month from January 2007 to February 2007.
TOTAL BUDGET: US$ 48,900
(For the detailed budget, kindly visit the ACT site. Thank you.)
ACTION
The ACT Co-ordinating Office has approved the use of US$ 48,900 towards the budget from its Rapid Response Fund and would be grateful to receive contributions to wholly or partially replenish this payment.
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ACT is a global alliance of Churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
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