Tip: Activate javascript to be able to use all functions of our website

Food security, water supply, health and education

The basis of resilience

Karte von Somalia mit Haupstadt Mogadischu und Boosaaso, sowie Nachbarländer

As of: 12/2022

Somalia, one of the poorest and most fragile countries in the world, is continuously shaken by violent conflicts, economic crises and natural disasters. Child mortality is high, in many cases due to malnutrition. More than 2 million people in Somalia have no food security. On behalf of the German Federal Government, KfW is working to strengthen resilience in Somalia. This includes first of all meeting basic needs and gradually creating sustainable livelihoods. Functioning structures are to be maintained or rebuilt. In the short term, the project focuses on nutrition, health, hygiene and basic education, and in the long term on measures to secure livelihoods. KfW is working together with UN organisations on this.

Project titleJoint Action for Building Resilience in Somalia
Commissioned byCommissioned by Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country/RegionSomalia
Project partnersGovernment of Somalia, represented by the relevant ministry

Current situation

In Somalia, poverty is part of everyday life. Many years of civil war have left their mark. One in seven children dies before his or her fifth birthday. Up to 2.1 million people are affected by food insecurity. 850,000 children are in danger of acute malnutrition, according to a study by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit 2020.

In addition, school enrolment rates are among the lowest in the world. Due to instability, ongoing violent conflicts and fragile state structures, there is little hope that this will change soon. Yet primary school skills such as reading and writing are important for understanding what can be done to improve nutrition and resilience. To overcome malnutrition and lack of education, the root causes must first be addressed. Investing in food security, education and livelihoods is critical to building resilience.

Girl carries a water canister, in the background several people
Clean water is one of the fundamental requirements to stabilise and improve fragile living conditions in Somalia.

Project approach

The fact that the problems are interconnected in many ways indicates that a holistic strategy is needed to overcome them. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW is providing more than EUR 146 million for a multisectoral programme that is being implemented jointly by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The programme is divided into three phases and is financed from funds of the BMZ's "transition assistance".

The first two phases focus on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as well as basic education.

In the third phase, the focus is more on livelihood interventions to make families and communities more resilient. They should be able to secure their own livelihoods, overcome problems and become more resilient to external shocks.

KfW has developed this approach together with the UN organisations involved in close coordination with the Somali government. The tasks are distributed as follows:

  • UNICEF is responsible for promoting food security and WASH,
  • UNICEF and WFP take care of the identification and treatment of malnutrition including
  • a better access to education for children of pre-school and primary school age,
  • UNICEF supports local teachers and improves the learning environment, while WFP provides school meals,
  • FAO aims to increase and diversify agricultural production and create new sources of income.

The organisations are networked and in close contact with each other, so that the families benefit from a whole range of measures. KfW supports the implementation of the programmes, carries out regular progress reviews and works to ensure compliance with environmental and social standards.

Impact

All measures are aimed at particularly vulnerable children and their families. Since 2018, more than 127,000 children in 15 districts in Gedo and Banadir regions have been given primary immunisation with multiple vaccinations. More than 167,000 malnourished children between six and 59 months have been treated. 171,000 children and 115,000 pregnant or lactating women received nutritional support to avert malnutrition. Since 2018, more than 30,000 children have received school meals each month. The third phase of the programme, focusing on Gedo region, aims to reach over 145,000 people annually.

The multi-sectoral approach, coordinated between all participating organisations, aims to address the root causes of precarious living conditions and build community resilience.

The project contributes to the achievement of these following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

Contact

KfW Group
KfW Development Bank

Governance / Stabilisation and Water East Africa

Transparency Portal

Read more

Disclosure of our data regarding Development Financing - sorted by countries, sectors and results.

Our partner countries

We support development programmes and thus future perspectives in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Southeast Europe.

Overview of our partner countries

Publications

Here you will find our evaluation results, general business publications as well as all specialist publications by topic and series.

Our publications