Horn of Africa: two SDC humanitarian workers tell us about their work
Article, 19.08.2016
The international community celebrates World Humanitarian Day on 19 August. To mark the occasion, the SDC pays tribute to its own humanitarian workers. Natacha Pugin and Abdi Kunow work day in day out providing food assistance in the Horn of Africa.
Several hundred experts make up the SDC's Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA). Whether in Bern or abroad, as members of the SHA on assignment in the field or in reserve, these men and women work in a wide range of areas, in all countries around the world that need their help.
The Horn of Africa, for example, faces a multitude of crises, including natural disasters, conflict and extreme poverty. Somalia is the epicentre of the region’s humanitarian crisis, with the highest rates of malnutrition in the world. The UN estimates that 4.7 million people require humanitarian aid in Somalia alone, equivalent to 40% of the population.
So who are the men and women who choose to work in these challenging environments? How do they do their job and what does it entail? What motivates them? We take a closer look at the work of two SDC experts in the Greater Horn of Africa.
Natacha Pugin
Position: Member of the SHA, seconded to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Somalia
Place of work: Nairobi, Kenya, with occasional travel to Somalia
Length of assignment: 12 months
Her job
Natacha is responsible for providing technical support in the implementation of cash-based transfer programmes. She is part of the WFP's Programme Unit in Somalia.
The beneficiaries
The WFP provides food assistance to millions of men, women and children using a digital beneficiary and transfer management platform called SCOPE. To date, the details of over 1.2 million people in Somalia have been entered in SCOPE. In the first half of 2016, 440,000 Somalis in acute need received food assistance by means of electronic cards.
A typical day
Natacha works in Kenya at the Nairobi liaison office. Her assignment began four months ago. New technologies allow her to do a substantial amount of work remotely whilst remaining in close contact with teams on the ground. Natacha liaises between the WFP’s various functional and operational units. She takes part in regular analyses of cash-based transfers to ensure that they are in line with market prices and also helps to foster ownership of the system among all national colleagues and partners involved with the WFP.
The benefits of digital technology
Thanks to the transfer system, programme beneficiaries can choose and buy their food from retailers nationwide. Data digitalisation means that nutrition programmes can be tailored to the needs of the worst affected population groups, such as pregnant women, babies and children. It also makes it easy to monitor the programme. According to the project officer, the technology enables an appropriate, reliable and flexible humanitarian response whilst boosting the local economy.
The challenges
Humanitarian travel is closely monitored in Somalia. The situation on the ground is difficult and unpredictable. Owing to the highly unstable climate in the country, Natacha’s first field assignment in August had to be postponed for security reasons. In her view, the main challenge with working in such contexts is finding the right balance between the needs of the population, risk management and the complexity of the environment in which the teams operate. It is a situation that requires humility and pragmatism. For Natacha, the discrepancy between the immense needs of the population and the resources available to humanitarian organisations is sometimes difficult to accept.
What motivates her
Natacha feels privileged to work in humanitarian aid, doing a job that is consistent with her values. Her assignment as a WFP programme officer represents a constant challenge: developing sustainable local solutions to ensure that everyone has access to adequate nutritious food all year round and to end malnutrition in all its forms by making the best possible use of 21st century technologies. “Working with teams who do an incredible job only strengthens my commitment even more,” she explains.
Her background
After graduating in economics and social sciences from the University of Fribourg, Natacha spent several years working in the financial sector in Zurich and New York. She was then taken on by the International Committee of the Red Cross as an administrative coordinator, where she worked in various countries (Ethiopia, South Sudan, Burundi, South East Asia and Central Asia). At the FDFA’s Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit she is a member of the Coordination and Administration expert group and has undertaken a range of assignments in Bern, then Liberia, Lebanon, Madagascar and now Somalia.
Kunow Abdi
Position: Food security programme officer, Horn of Africa, Swiss cooperation office in Kenya
Place of work: Nairobi, Kenya – Frequent travel to Horn of Africa (Northern Kenya, Somalia)
His job
Kunow works for the SDC in the Horn of Africa in food security and rural development domain. His priorities are water supply for pastoral communities and livestock, improved rangelands management and boosting the resilience of people enduring food crises.
The beneficiaries
Kunow is currently involved in two projects providing assistance for communities in Somalia and northern Kenya. The Somalia Resilience Programme supports 420,000 shepherds, farmers and people living in city suburbs. The resilience of the community plays a vital role in food crisis management in this programme. In the provinces of northern Kenya, the Kenya Resilient Arid Lands Partnership for Integrated Development (Kenya RAPID) supports water supply in several regions benefiting 435,000 people.
A typical day
The programme officer is based at the Swiss embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. As the SDC is one of the project partners and not the direct implementer, Kunow mainly works remotely in close cooperation with the SDC local teams. He visits the operations in the field several times a year, meeting the various partners and monitoring and evaluating the programmes.
The challenges
Visiting some areas is still dangerous, even for people from the Horn of Africa. Aid operations are protected by armed escorts in most parts of Somalia, particularly in southern and central regions. Kunow stresses just how much rigorous prior planning is involved. He lives in the relatively secure Kenyan capital. Restrictions on the freedom of movement and the sense of insecurity sometimes encountered when working in this region also represent challenges.
What motivates him
Kunow has vast experience of working in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. “I’m very familiar with this fragile and sensitive environment. These are my roots. I’m very much at home in this part of the world,” he explained. “It’s extremely rewarding to apply your skills, expertise and experience to an initiative that has a direct impact on the lives of thousands of people.” Kunow speaks the local languages facilitating interaction with the communities. He also has a better understanding than anyone of these people’s needs. Somalia is more severely affected by the chronic food crisis hitting the Horn of Africa. After almost three decades of war, conflict and lack of operational government, Kunow believes the resilience of Somalian communities in dealing with drought, famine and poor harvests has been eroded. He added: “There is tremendous humanitarian need. The SDC gives me the opportunity to play a part in the assistance process.”
His background
Kunow comes from the County of Garissa in north-eastern Kenya. After studying veterinary medicine at the University of Nairobi, he spent several years working as a programme manager for various international NGOs in Kenya and Somalia. He then took a master’s degree in food security and international development in the UK. He subsequently returned to the Horn of Africa, to work as a food security specialist for the SDC over a year ago.
Links
Swiss Humanitarian Aid: saving lives and alleviating suffering
The SDC: engagement in fragile contexts and prevention of violent conflicts
Somalia Resilience Programme, SomReP
Resilience for Pastoralist Communities in Northern Kenya
Cash transfer programming – Make beneficiaries an integral part of the humanitarian response
SDC projects in the Greater Horn of Africa
Good Financial Governance (GFG)
01.05.2024
- 30.04.2027
The project contributes to strengthen Tanzania’s public financial system, a central element to cement its economic status. The 3rd phase aims at expanding the mobilization of domestic revenue and improving the government’s expenditure control. It shall strengthen interinstitutional mechanisms for tax data exchange, enhance the audit system, and improve public procurement. At policy level, it seeks to develop an evidence-based and gender responsive fiscal strategy for better public service delivery to benefit the population, especially the poor.
Safeguard Young People (SYP) - Tanzania
01.01.2024
- 31.12.2026
With 62% of its population below 25 years, the Safeguard Young People (SYP) programme supports Tanzania’s demographic dividend. The project advances young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) through a gender-responsive and inclusive policy environment, empowered youth who make informed decisions, and responsive health and education systems. SYP builds on 10 years of regional experience and UNFPA’s expertise.
Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF)
01.10.2023
- 30.09.2025
Switzerland’s contribution to Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) for the implementation of the Productive Social Safety Net Program (PSSN) contributes to the protection of 1.5 milion poor households in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar through cash transfers, public works and livelihoods enhancement. Also evidence generated through this support will inform and reinforce Swiss engagement in national policy dialogue on social protection, beyond PSSN.
Supporting returnee and host communities to rebuild livelihoods, generate income, and peacefully improve and manage natural resources for short-term relief and long-term food security (Triple Nexus) in South Sudan
01.07.2023
- 30.09.2025
This project will support returnees and the host communities to rebuild their livelihoods, generate income, and peacefully improve and manage natural resources for short-term relief and long-term food security. This will be achieved through increased food production, sustainable management and governance of natural resources, initiating alternative income opportunities, non-violent conflict resolution and GBV prevention. This intervention aligns with the humanitarian, peace and development nexus and will contribute to durable solutions.
South Sudan: Plan International, Integrated Protection, Skills Building and Learning for Empowerment of Adolescents, Youth, families and communities in Yei, Morobo and Kajokeji
15.06.2023
- 14.06.2025
This project seeks to complement the previous phase of an integrated protection intervention. It will build on key successes, achievements and key lessons learned through the provision of integrated life-saving emergency child protection services, skills building, empowerment of adolescent youth and communities in the targeted locations.
Enhancing Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Communities and Ecosystems in South Sudan
01.06.2023
- 31.05.2026
Local authorities and communities will be strengthened in their technical and managerial capacities to reduce people’s livelihood exposure, vulnerability and resilience to floods and drought thus increasing food production and reduce food insecurity as well as displacement of people and competition over natural resources. This will be achieved through improved communication, coordination and knowledge-sharing, early warning systems and appropriate legislation.
Somalia: Strengthening State Institutions for better service delivery
01.03.2023
- 31.12.2025
The Multi-Partner-Fund (MPF) provided an umbrella to prepare the World Bank’s (WB) re-engagement in Somalia. It has become a powerful tool for donors to pool resources and enabled the WB to engage with Somali authorities to gradually advance reform implementation related to revenue and financial policy, as well as public financial management (PFM). Through this project, Switzerland supports the incremental strengthening of core state institutions in Somalia and contributes ultimately to stability and socio-economic recovery of the country.
Mercy Corps: Strengthening Resilience in Agriculture, Livelihoods and Markets through Local Institutions in Greater Mundri
01.02.2023
- 31.01.2026
To sustainably move households out of chronic vulnerability, poverty and food insecurity by facilitating economic recovery and support for smallholder farmers and non-farm microenterprises. The support will consist of market system development (MSD), value chain development, vocational skills development and improved methods of agriculture, such as agro-ecology and conservation. The intervention will focus on women and youth and is highly relevant in a post-conflict context like Mundri (South Sudan).
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Tanzania
01.02.2023
- 28.02.2028
Tanzania is investing heavily in reforming sustainable health financing and leveraging integrated digital solutions to advance Universal Health Coverage and ensure that all Tanzanians have access to any quality health services they need, when and where they need, without financial hardship. Together with other development partners, Switzerland uses this momentum to support the government in establishing a Universal Health Insurance and the Center for Digital Health.
Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF 2023 – 2026)
01.01.2023
- 31.12.2026
More than 28 million people in Ethiopia are in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of internal conflict, displacement, and recurrent natural hazards, primarily drought. An estimated 5.7 million people are displaced internally as a result of conflict (main driver of displacement in the country) and drought. Additional 2 million people are IDP returnees. The country also hosts more about 1mio refugees from Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea, and Sudan. The Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund is a pooled fund that aims at providing rapid and flexible humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable and underserved areas. Switzerland has been reconfirmed in 2023 member of the EHF Steering Committee.
CARE International: Breaking the Silence
01.01.2023
- 31.12.2024
The proposed project seeks to address key drivers of GBV, promote help-seeking behaviour, access to quality services for survivors and promote economic empowerment of vulnerable women and girls. Some key activities will include the provision of health, psychosocial, and protection support in one (1) existing safe house and three (3) women and girl-friendly spaces (WGFSs), the provision of unconditional emergency cash support to vulnerable survivors and livelihood opportunities. Through the partnership with WIDO, a local women-led organisation, CARE will work to transform negative masculinities and social norms.
SIRA - Somalia Information and Resilience Building Action
01.01.2023
- 31.12.2025
Rangeland degradation, drought and other effects of climate change are further exacerbating food insecurity in Somalia. Through the present intervention the communities’ resilience is increased by enhancing climate sustainable livestock production, fodder productivity and public service delivery leading to improved household incomes. Switzerland aims to support communities’ capacities to cope with climatic shocks and as such contributes to stability and peace in Somalia.
The SDC’s Skills for Life pilot project teaches vocational skills to refugees and residents of Kakuma, to enable them to work and earn a living. More than 580 young people were trained in phase one of this project, which was launched in 2013. Phase two began in summer 2016.
Country/region | Topic | Period | Budget |
---|---|---|---|
Kenya |
Vocational training Migration Education nothemedefined
Vocational training
Forced displacement (refugees, IDP, human trafficking) Basic life skills |
01.07.2016
- 31.08.2019 |
CHF 2’050’000
|
- Increased access to market driven skills among the refugees and host community.
- Improved financial and business management capability among refugees and host community.
- Enhanced resilience and livelihood coping among the refugees and host community.
- Replicable and scalable skills development model for fragile contexts developed.
- Market based technical, entrepreneurial, financial literacy skills provided to refugee and host community.
- Formation of business associations and saving groups.
- Guidelines, manuals etc. on low cost and modular skills provision for replication in other refugee/fragile contexts developed.
- Foreign private sector South/East
- Swisscontact
-
Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation EDUCATION
GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY
EDUCATION
Sub-Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation Vocational training
Facilitation of orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility
Basic life skills for youth and adults
Cross-cutting topics Conflict reduction
Aid Type Mandate with fiduciary funds
Mandate without fiduciary fund
Project number 7F08201
Background |
More than 600'000 refugees are living in Kenya, the majority of them in the refugee camps of Dadaab in the East and Kakuma in the North. Built in 1991 to host 16'000 Sudanese refugees, Kakuma camp today hosts almost 200'000 refugees in 4 camp complexes. A fifth camp is currently under construction. With refugees spending 17 years on average in a camp and the shrinking international support for protracted displacement situations, the requirement to search for durable solutions and alternatives to long term encampment and dependence has become more urgent. Thus innovative ideas to quickly set up measures to provide increased economic independence become key, independently if refugees stay, return or move further. In 2013 the SDC launched the pilot Skills for Life project implemented by Swisscontact in Kakuma that supports refugees and host communities to acquire market relevant skills to enhance their (self-) employment opportunities, and to reduce their dependency on humanitarian aid. A scaling up of the pilot project was decided. |
Objectives |
Income generating capabilities of refugees and host community in Kakuma are increased through enhancing their technical, financial, life and literacy skills for improved livelihoods of refugees and host community. |
Target groups |
Refugee and Host community youths in Kakuma; 2'500 young people (16-25 years) with a 50/50 gender ratio including 20% of young mothers benefiting from enhanced skills. Kakuma based local partners organisations adopting an improved approach to deliver market oriented skills, employment, and self- employment opportunities for refugees and the host community. Non-formal skills development providers in fragile contexts gel access to a tested, modular, and low cost, skills development model for refugees and in fragile contexts. |
Medium-term outcomes |
|
Results |
Expected results: Results from previous phases: Based on a market analysis, 13 curricula for market oriented, flexible, and low-cost technical skills provision were developped. 1'880 individuals received technical and entrepreneurship training (527 individuals, 54% female), literacy, financial literacy training and/or life skills/psychosocial support. Access to finance for self-employment was supported by the project via the establishment of 15 saving groups. 165 individuals (75% female) enhanced savings and/or accessed loans up to a total of 35'000 USD in a year. A positive change among refugee and host community towards work and business for self-reliance, signifying less dependency on donor hand-outs was observed. The participation of many young women (including mothers) from the host and refugee communities in the trainings further helped to weaken traditional gender norms. The project did contribute to an improved social integration between the host and refugee communities thereby reducing tensions and creating a more protective environment. |
Directorate/federal office responsible |
SDC |
Credit area |
Humanitarian aid |
Project partners |
Contract partner Private sector Swiss Non-profit Organisation |
Coordination with other projects and actors |
UNHCR, local government officers, education /vocational training NGOs in Kakuma. |
Budget | Current phase Swiss budget CHF 2’050’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF 2’091’883 Total project since first phase Swiss budget CHF 1’300’000 Budget inclusive project partner CHF 4’350’000 |
Project phases |
Phase 2 01.07.2016 - 31.08.2019 (Completed) Phase 1 15.04.2013 - 31.07.2016 (Completed) |
Kakuma is a small town in Turkana County, one of the most remote parts of Kenya. Once you get there, there is no indication that one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises is unfolding only 100 kilometres away. Civil war erupted in South Sudan in 2013, two years after the country had secured independence.
More than one million of South Sudan’s people have already fled the country. In recent years, approximately 50,000 of them have settled in Kakuma. Here, on the banks of a dry river bed, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) administers a huge camp of approximately 160,000 people, over half of whom are from South Sudan.
The camp is their whole world
Kakuma camp was established in 1992 to provide temporary shelter to a few thousand people; it has since evolved into a vast settlement. The camp is like a huge village with small shops, motorcycle taxis, schools, basketball courts – it has everything. Most of the refugees have been there for years and many of the younger ones – one in ten inhabitants is a minor – were born in the camp. Since nobody is allowed to leave without permission, many residents know no other world.
Nevertheless, Alfadil Abdallah is happy to be there. Alfadil is a 28-year-old from Darfur, western Sudan, a region that has been at war for the past ten years. In 2011, he fled with his sister, first to South Sudan, then to Kenya. He lost his sister on the journey and has so far been unable to contact his family again. Many in Kakuma share the same fate.
In one of the countless corrugated metal shelters, Alfadil sits in front of a computer. Last year, he and a friend set up the ‘Hong Kong Centre’ computer and mobile phone repair workshop. “It’s going well. I’m grateful to have been able to build a future for myself.” Alfadil was one of the Skills for Life project’s first participants. The project was launched by the SDC and implemented by Swisscontact and provides vocational training to young adults. It offers short three- to five-month training schemes that teach a dozen different trades, such as IT, hairdressing or sewing. A number of the project’s beneficiaries have since opened small stalls. Joseph Lenakiyo, the project leader, is optimistic, “Once they return home, these skills will help them to rebuild their lives.”
Occupations that meet local needs
Initially, 580 young people like Alfadil were given training. Phase two of the Skills for Life project began in July 2016. The goal is to train a further 2,500 people in 13 trades to meet local needs. Men and women aged between 15 and 25 are being trained in farming, mechanics, bricklaying, waste management, blacksmithing and working with tools. Others are developing skills in repairing computer equipment, sewing and hairdressing.
In turn, Kakuma’s entrepreneurs have assumed the role of trainers, sharing their knowledge of running small businesses. The project also addresses the issue of illiteracy. More than 800 people have taken courses in literacy and numeracy.
(Extract of an article by Fabian Urech for “Eine Welt/Un solo mondo/Un seul monde” magazine No. 4/December 2016)