Somaliland is a self-declared sovereign democratic country in the Horn of Africa. It was during the period 1888–1960 known as British Somaliland and entered into union with Somalia after independence in 1960. However, following a civil war and the collapse of Somalia, it withdrew from the union and reclaimed its independence in 1991.
The work of Warsan Relief Organization includes, among other, poultry farming that gives internally displaced persons a new way to make a living, school lunches in two schools in the countryside and a mobile clinic that provides healthcare for people living in the countryside.
SCR is supporting the following projects through Warsan:
- Support for internally displaced people
- School lunches
- Mobile clinic
Support for internally displaced people
Humanitarian and development work to make a living, for health care and education.
Warsan Relief Organization (WRO) started in northern Somalia in 2017 to come with help, light and hope to the most vulnerable in the society.
Warsan has established contact with the village Bali Matan that has received internally displaced people (IDPs) forced to move there because of drought. Warsan has distributed food and non-food items and also runs a long-term development work to give people better conditions to sustain themselves, and access to education and health care.
Among others, they have established a poultry project. Through poultry farming, the participants and their families get food from both eggs and chicken meat. Some of the eggs are also sold at the market and therethrough the families receive an income.
School lunches
School lunches give children in the Somali countryside a better opportunity to get education and a way out of poverty.
In the village Bali Ciise, lunch is provided to 103 school children every week day, through the organisation Warsan and the financial support from SCR. In the villages outside of the city Hargeisa, children often have a long way to walk to get to school. Some children have upto two hours walk, often without having any breakfast.
The families of the children are herders, not always seeing the full value of education for their children. Therefore an education committé was created to work together for children to come to school. The school lunches, that are served every school day, Saturday to Wednesday, gives the children energy to concentrate in class. The school lunches have also led to more children coming to school. The health of the children is also improved through the mobile clinic that visits Bali Ciise twice a month.
Mobile clinic
Health care and medicines to the Somali countryside.
In the Somali countryside, availability of quality health care is very limited. The SCR partner organisation Warsan Relief Organization (WRO) therefore runs a mobile clinic that visits a number of villages.
The staff in the mobile clinic is one medical doctor, who is both a general practitioner and a pediatrician, and a nurse. They do examinations, and when needed prescribes medicines or refer patients to governmental hospitals for further care. The mobile clinic has contributed to safety for the families in the villages and also become a psycho-social support where many come for consulting.
As part of the project, local health workers are also trained, who can give fundamental health care when the clinic is not present. Altogether, more than 9 000 persons, are given access to healthcare through the mobile clinic.