Somalia Humanitarian Funding (SHF) has allocated U.S.$26 million to scale up assistance for about 1.2 million people in the country.
The funds are part of the SHF 2021 Reserve Allocation to support national and international non-governmental partners operating in Banadir, Bay, Galgaduud, Gedo, Hiraan, Lower Juba, Middle Shabelle, and Mudug regions.
Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula, said humanitarian agencies in the country needed urgent support to provide timely response.
Covid-19 and insecurity in Somalia are driving severe humanitarian needs with over 80 percent of the country suffering from drought conditions.
‘This allocation will enable humanitarian agencies in Somalia to boost lifesaving assistance to the most vulnerable communities in areas where needs are the highest’, Abdelmoula said in a statement.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the $26 million allocation will provide strategic support for selected cluster-specific priorities and integrated interventions.
The funds will also focus on areas with acute water shortages brought about by prolonged drought, as well as flood-affected populations in hotspot areas.
OCHA said close to $17 million of the funding will support priority activities for food security, health, nutrition and global WASH clusters, just as about 36 percent of the funds will be used to bolster response to flood-affected people through integrated and complementary packages.
‘With multiple shocks persistently causing high levels of humanitarian and protection concerns in Somalia, lifesaving assistance must be sustained alongside livelihood support’, the OCHA statement read.
The 2021 Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan, which is seeking $1.09 billion, is only 41 percent funded as of August 31.
Photo source: AMISOM Public Information
