NRC Horn of Africa: Assisted 1.2 million people
Astrid Sehl, Nairobi (12.04.2012)
In the midst of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the NRC Horn of Africa programme provided assistance to nearly 1.2 million of the most vulnerable people in 2011.
Click to download the NRC Horn of Africa Annual Report 2011 In the annual report for the Horn of Africa programme, you can read about how NRC utilized the generous contributions from its donors and private sponsors, in order to secure the rights to receive protection and assistance for people forced to flee in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.
After several months of drought, famine was declared in six regions of South Central Somalia between July and September last year. Armed conflict and the crippling drought and famine sent hundreds of thousands of Somalis on the road to seek refuge; into Mogadishu, out of South and Central Somalia into Puntland and Somaliland, and into the refugee camps of Dolo Ado in Ethiopia and Dadaab in Kenya.
NRC scaled-up its programme response in all areas of operation in the Horn of Africa in order to provide life-saving assistance. In volatile areas of South Central Somalia, NRC reached nearly 130,000 people with an innovative food voucher programme.
NRC opened its operations in Dolo Ado, Ethiopia, in response to the influx of refugees there. Within weeks, NRC was the shelter lead delivering over 4,000 emergency tents and gaining government approval for a new transitional shelter design.
In Dadaab, an additional 155,000 refugees arrived between January and October 2011, overwhelming existing services. NRC responded with the provision of almost 8,000 shelters and some 6,000 latrines in addition to its regular programme.
In Puntland and Somaliland, NRC continued to address the needs of long-term displaced people focusing on durable solutions, while providing emergency assistance to newly displaced populations. In Puntland, where land property issues remain the greatest obstacle to durable solutions, NRC negotiated land tenure and developed new shelter materials and designs. In Somaliland, NRC effectively piloted permanent shelter solutions with the active support of the local government.
In Kenya, NRC partnered with displaced people to construct more than 2,600 homes, in support of the Government’s initiative to return those who were displaced by the 2008 post-election violence.