Horn of Africa Drought Relief

At the outset of the year, 20 million people – a figure that has since surged to 40 million - in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Somaliland were facing acute food and water shortages, a lingering effect from the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine that has been intensified by the impacts of climate change. In Somaliland specifically, the devastating consequences of a year without rain pushed families to the brink of survival as a drastic decrease in agricultural production caused a sharp decline in household incomes. Forced to sell their livestock, pastoralists also faced a complete change in livelihood while numerous families were uprooted from their homes in search of more livable conditions. ActionAid worked with local partners in Somaliland and across East Africa to provide life-saving emergency assistance among other critical interventions.

In Kenya, we:

• Provided cash transfers to over 15,000 people.

• Amplified the voices of 5 local women in the community of Baringo by enabling their participation in multi-stakeholders’ peace meetings.

• Established and strengthened capacities of 37 community leaders through training on water governance and the creation of two water management committees.

In Ethiopia, we:

• Trucked in water for more than 14,500 people.

• Provided more than 31,900 people with emergency food, cash, and dignity kits.

• Distributed food to more than 773 students.

In Somalia and Somaliland, we:

• Provided cash transfers to more than 10,000 of the most affected and overburdened households.

• Established 24 safe spaces for gender-based violence referrals, awareness raising, and counseling.

• Referred 341 people to legal and health services, and pyschological assistance.

At the center of Xidhinta, a village in Somaliland, is a group of women determined to find a way out of the crisis. Founded in 2014 with the support of ActionAid, the Xidhinta Women’s Group is comprised of sixty women from ages 27 to nearly 100 years old. They discuss the issues that most affect them and their children and are responsible for decision making for the whole community. Halibo, 27, is a prominent figure and vice chair of the women’s group. She balances the responsibility of caring for her ill mother and managing a clothing business alongside her leadership role in the group. Through support and training provided by ActionAid, Halibo has fostered and witnessed the transformative power of collective action. She has seen, first-hand, the immense potential for women to thrive during and after crisis, when provided with the necessary tools and opportunities. Halibo shared with us:

"Before 2014, women were not equal to other women in the world, but the training that ActionAid gave us changed my mind and I now realize that without women nothing can work and we play an important role in society. My ambition now is to share something with the world. We are now a decisive and ambitious people."

Thank you for supporting our work at this critical time, so that we can connect women like Halibo, to the resources that will empower collective action towards a more just, sustainable, and equitable world.