ActionAid responded to an urgent appeal to intervene and provide lifesaving interventions for flood affected communities in Beledweyne. This is after heavy rains caused the river to break its banks in Beledweyne on 8th May 2023 and subsequent flooding which submerged the surrounding town. The flooding caused widespread destruction of farms, public infrastructure, and other livelihood assets. An estimated 201,438 individuals were displaced by flooding, the majority in CeelJaale, and Burjada Ceynta. More than 80 percent of the town is in low-lying areas. The floods worst-affected villages included Kooshin,
Haawotaako, and Howlwadaag. The floods displaced mainly children, women, elderly and people with disabilities. ActionAid International-Somalia was among the first humanitarian organizations to respond to the floods with a focus on lifesaving actions primarily water trucking, one-off cash support, NFI kit distribution and hygiene kits which targeted the most vulnerable communities affected by the floods.
ActionAid International with funding support from Start Fund and ActionAid Disaster Preparedness and Response Fund (DPRF) started an integrated humanitarian response on 18th May 2023 targeting four villages that were severely affected by the flooding. The focus of the response was to provide immediate lifesaving interventions with focus on water trucking that reached 1,140 households, NFI kit distribution to 2,040 households, hygiene kit distribution to 1,050 households and provision of one-off cash support to 2,850 households. ActionAid targeted the villages where most of the flood affected communities were displaced to, namely, Shirkaneco, Bananeey, Hiraan Bile and Xudaleey. The flooding severely disturbed the daily lives and overall infrastructure of the city, limiting mobility and local businesses particularly the informal sector that employs the majority of the people. ActionAid successfully reached a total of 46,200 (31,830 women, 14,370 men) including boys and girls. Humanitarian needs in Beledweyne and overall Hirshabelle state remain very dire and humanitarian response scale up is needed. Most of the people displaced by floods returned to the town amid limited assistance and funding for humanitarian needs on the ground. To build back better, post flood support for recovery is needed with more focus on rehabilitation of water infrastructure, construction of latrines, food and cash assistance, resilience programming to support long term livelihoods of affected communities as well as protection. ActionAid realizes the importance of joint anticipatory flood response plan that key actors on the ground must jointly prepare for future response and put in place contingency planning as the floods is recurrent. ActionAid would like to extend its deep appreciation to the Start Fund and DPRF for funding support, the Federal Government of Somalia through the Ministry of Humanitarian in Hirshabelle State, Food Security Cluster, WASH Cluster, Protection Cluster, Save the Children, UNICEF Somalia, and the local communities structures for excellent coordination and technical support during the response.
ActionAid is a global justice federation working to achieve social justice, gender equality and poverty eradication. ActionAid works to strengthen the capacity and agency of people living in poverty and exclusion, especially women, to assert their rights. We work with communities, people’s organisations, women’s movements, groups and networks, social movements, and other allies to overcome the structural causes and consequences of poverty and injustice. We connect the work we do at community level with broader efforts and struggles for justice at every level to make the greatest contribution towards a just, equitable and sustainable world.