RESILIENCE, FOOD SECURITY & LIVELIHOOD
CASH FOR WORK INTERVENTIONS
COHF is helping communities in Somaliland to recover from natural disasters and conflict to generate income by rehabilitating their productive assets and enhancing their resilience. Our group-based approach that is gender responsive and conflict sensitive, COHF engages young men and women on cash for works as the preferred alternative livelihood option. The approach helps locals build sustainable livelihoods through a phased process of recovery, rebuilding and long-term growth. Our approach also promotes systemic change where we support improving the existing infrastructures such as water catchments to improve water security and building other extension sustainable setups such as contour bands to mitigate soil erosion.
AGRICULTURAL INPUTS DISTRIBUTION
COHF assists vulnerable agricultural communities in Somaliland to pull through from natural disasters, restore their productive lands and engage with markets on equitable terms. We support the transfer of new and improved agricultural practices by providing access to seeds, tools, trainings and extension services.
Using a group-based approach, COHF encourages subsistence farmers to embrace commercial farming as the ideal livelihood option. This helps direct their focus away from conflicts and towards productive income generating activities.
CASH & LIVESTOCK INPUT DISTRIBUTION
COHF is facilitating pastoralist communities in Somaliland build their resilience against drought and other natural calamities.
Our line of initiative helps vulnerable pastoralists through the provision of livestock inputs such as Mazzicans and animal feed blocks. Livestock owners also gain access to veterinary services through our well-trained, equipped and supervised Community Animal Health staff.
Through an innovative program, our field officers provide technical and extension services to herders, while also building their technical and management capacity. This helps vulnerable pastoral communities transition from dependence on emergency relief to engaging in a vital role in their recovery and prosperity.
CASH & FISHERIES INPUT DISTRIBUTION
COHF is training communities living in the coastal areas of Somaliland to engage in new and improved fishing techniques, preservation methods, hygiene as well as nutritional practices so as to build sustainable livelihoods and healthy long-term growth. We also support the Fishery groups by providing access to cash transfers, modern tools and extension services to enhance fish quality and group earnings hence helping them switch from dependence on emergency relief to engaging in sustainable economic activities.
Through this initiative also, our field staff provide practical and supervisory services to fishery groups while enhancing their technical capacity, coping mechanisms and mitigating the effect of climate change.
WADATASHI IYO HORUMAAR (‘let’s talk, dialogue and succeed together’)
In June 2022, COHF partnered with; Focus Women Foundation (the funding partner) to implement a livelihood support project in Eastleigh, Nairobi. The project objective is to enhance households’ income of marginalized women through Income generating activities (IGAs) and capacity building on access to basic social services rights in Eastleigh, Nairobi Kenya with the primary target groups being vulnerable women living in Eastleigh, widows and women heading households.
The project envisages the following results:
- Increased and more consistent household income and improved employment opportunities for women and girls. To achieve this, 10 women IGA groups were created and trained in business management, financial and procurement procedures and record keeping, technical aspects of IGAs, sales and marketing. Cash grants were transferred to the 10 IGA groups.
- Increased access to financial services, basic rights and justice for the women and girls. To achieve this, we facilitated improved capacity of the 100 women in cash management, savings, and investment. Existing groups also accessed basic rights like licensing and permits for small scale businesses.
During the project, we conducted proper Mobilization, Sensitization. Identification and Selection of beneficiaries was also done after assessing the level of vulnerability of the selected communities. Trainings was conducted on Group Formation, Access to Basic Social Services, Business Training (Start-ups and upscale) for the 100 Selected Beneficiaries. We also distributed Cash Grants in support of the IGA.