SOMAID, Somali Aid Mission is a national Non-governmental NGO founded in 2000 in Beletweyne district, Hiraan region, by local Somali intellectuals and Diaspora Somali community members. The purpose is to provide sustainable livelihoods intervention opportunities to support the most vulnerable communities both in the urban and rural areas of South-Central Somalia consequently with access to better livelihoods, education, adequate primary health care, and employment opportunities, respect the ideals of universal human rights, peace, good-governance and eventually improved sustainable community development. The organization is registered under the Somali Interior Ministry in the Department of Humanitarian Affairs.

Subsequent to series of lobby and advocacy  efforts in Mogadishu and outside of Somalia, the founders responded to the urgent need of Somali people and contributed into the emergency humanitarian crisis and development of their country rehabilitation and reconstruction after years of destructive conflicts and successive droughts and famines which led to the total collapse of socio-economic and political institutions.

The vulnerable communities in the targeted areas of South-Central regions and Somalis in general live in extremely poor and under-developed conditions since the collapse of their government in 1991 and the subsequent protracted lawlessness. Their livelihoods are broadly based on subsistence farming and pastoralism with limited opportunity to earn wages. The predominant livelihood systems are;1) Pastoralism a)Agro- pastoralist b) Agriculturalist: agriculture based livelihood. 2) Fishing: 3) Urban Residents and IDPs:

Successive conflicts, droughts and famine had eroded the livelihoods coping mechanisms of these communities. The negative occurrences instigated a huge number of civilian population displaced internally and refugees’ camps in neighbouring countries.

SOMAID’s humanitarian and development intervention programs are holistic, people-centered, community- based and sustainable. Therefore, sustainable livelihoods approaches are adopted for all SOMAID strategic and short-term program focus in Somalia.

SOMAID sustainable livelihoods program interventions add to the current humanitarian, developmental and Somalia National development goals commitments, by utilizing principally home-ground solutions to vulnerable community challenges and needs. SOMAID corresponds to the existing international and national humanitarian and development strategies.

The organization puts into operation participatory approaches, strategic planning and community mobilization to find solutions to community problems. It offers a range of programming and support in: Emergency Relief Response, Food Security and Livelihoods, Health, Formal Education, WASH, Youth Capacity Development Programs, Micro-Enterprise Development, and three Cross Cutting Issues: Peace Building and Reconciliation, Gender, and FGM, GBV and HIV/Aids.

Since inception, the organisation was successful to implement a number of emergency and development projects in cooperation with the locals, UN and international agencies. These projects benefited a large number of the most vulnerable communities in south-central Somalia. It created credibility, good-track- record, close collaboration with the all stakeholders; local authorities, communities and donors. It has now transformed into well-established NGO competent of implementing multiple projects simultaneously.

SOMAID CORE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

• Respects the unique and inherent worth of all individuals.
• Moral and ethical integrity.
• People-centered development.
• Fairness and equity.
• Good governance.
• Honesty, transparency and accountability to stakeholders.
• Independence.
• Communication and collaboration.
• Environmentally conscious.
• Community managed sustainable and impact-oriented development.
• Solidarity with the poor.

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VISION

SOMAID envisages an economically strong and stable environment where the Somali society live in harmony and people respect the ideals of peace, good governance, rule of law, human rights and sustainable resource management.

MISSION

Improved and sustaining livelihood of vulnerable communities in Somalia through environmentally sound interventions while focusing on equity, good governance, justice, democracy and human rights.

OBJECTIVES

1. Reduce malnutrition and food insecurity that cause irreparable damage to livelihoods, thereby reducing self-sufficiency through introducing sustainable food security and livelihoods improvement initiatives.
2. Increase access to education for children from poor and vulnerable groups while strengthening the quality and capacity of teachers, teaching/learning environment and institutional structures.
3. Increased sustainable access to safe water and sanitation services for men, women and children in rural and peri-urban.
4. Increase access to primary health care services to vulnerable groups and locations.
5. Increase public environmental awareness and advocacy through trainings, meetings, media etc.
6. Build the capacity of local CBOs, women groups, youth groups in better management practices, service delivery etc.
7. To enhance education and skills training access to youth and adults to promote employment opportunities.
8. Enhance peace building, human rights and democracy promotion.
9. Promote and advocate for gender sensitive approaches to enhance women’s rights and girl-child education and strengthen the participation and involvement of women and vulnerable groups in programs and organization.
10. Strengthen community capacity to cope with future shocks in disaster preparedness and management.
11. Improve the protection of and respect for the human rights and dignity of vulnerable populations – with a special focus on IDPs, women, children and marginalized groups – through effective advocacy and the application of a rights-based approach across all sectors;
12. Work with local communities and encourage management practices that conserve local natural resources.