18-12-2019 | di COOPI

Flood emergency in Somalia. COOPI supports 1,000 households

Since October 2019, the Deyr season in Somalia has brought torrential rains, which have caused the displacement of about 570 000 people and, since December, COOPI has started a collaboration with Caritas Somalia to meet the most urgent needs of the population, offering food assistance to 1,000 vulnerable households. Until February 2020, food kits containing 25 kg of rice, 25 kg of flour, 10 kg of sugar, 5 l of oil and a box milk powder will be delivered to the households in Berdale, 55 km northwest of Baidoa, the capital of the Bay Region.

Already present in the region since January 2019 with a project funded by the European Commission (Department for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection - ECHO), COOPI is also strengthening food security and purchasing power of the host population and displaced people affected by the recent flash floods - about 14,000 people will receive transfers for about $ 60 per month, through mobile money. This safe, practical and efficient technology allows beneficiaries greater freedom of choice and security while purchasing goods at a time of great emergency.

Somalia is one of the countries most exposed to the effects of climate change – extremely dry seasons followed by torrential rain deeply affect a population who already endured almost 30 years of internal conflict. According to UN agencies, 6.3 million people suffer from hunger, half a million have been affected by recent floods and 370 thousand more will be forced to leave their homes.

Cover photo: CNS photo/Feisal Omar, Reuters