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SAACID - Canal Rehabilitation
The rural areas of Somalia have always been systemically underdeveloped - even under previous governmental administrations most of the wealth was redistributed to urban areas. Rural Somali women have, and do, suffer an even greater burden. SAACID has concentrated on core programming to enhance the lives of all the poor - putting special emphasis on women and children wherever it can.
Major donor interest has come in the form of canal rehabilitation around the Shabelle and Jubba Rivers. These two river systems are the 'bread-basket' of Somalia, which is otherwise dominated by a semi-arid or arid landscape. Donors have tried to focus on rehabilitating the largely silted up canal systems that feed off the rivers in the hope of greatly expanding the capacity of the local food supply - that can then be sold throughout the rest of the country - thus mitigating the need for costly emergency food assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the like.
In this regard, since 1992 SAACID has partnered Netherlands Organisation for Community Development (Oxfam Novib), Oxfam America, ADRA and WFP in rehabilitating canal systems along the Shabelle River; and developing local water management committees that provide a conflict resolution mechanism for water resource conflict; and also provide rural Somali women a genuine say in how water is managed and allocated.
The work SAACID has completed in partnership with Oxfam Novib, Oxfam America, ADRA and WFP over the past decade has directly benefited more than 145,000 Somalis. The indirect benefits of an expanded locally available food supply have not been calculated.
In 2009, SAACID completed 10 kilometres of canal rehabilitations in Jowhar and Mahaday Districts of Middle Shabelle Region. Including, Robow, Gugac and Yaxasow Canals.
Major donor interest has come in the form of canal rehabilitation around the Shabelle and Jubba Rivers. These two river systems are the 'bread-basket' of Somalia, which is otherwise dominated by a semi-arid or arid landscape. Donors have tried to focus on rehabilitating the largely silted up canal systems that feed off the rivers in the hope of greatly expanding the capacity of the local food supply - that can then be sold throughout the rest of the country - thus mitigating the need for costly emergency food assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the like.
In this regard, since 1992 SAACID has partnered Netherlands Organisation for Community Development (Oxfam Novib), Oxfam America, ADRA and WFP in rehabilitating canal systems along the Shabelle River; and developing local water management committees that provide a conflict resolution mechanism for water resource conflict; and also provide rural Somali women a genuine say in how water is managed and allocated.
The work SAACID has completed in partnership with Oxfam Novib, Oxfam America, ADRA and WFP over the past decade has directly benefited more than 145,000 Somalis. The indirect benefits of an expanded locally available food supply have not been calculated.
In 2009, SAACID completed 10 kilometres of canal rehabilitations in Jowhar and Mahaday Districts of Middle Shabelle Region. Including, Robow, Gugac and Yaxasow Canals.
SAACID has be able to secure funds for the continuous rehabilitation of canals from 1992 to the present.
In addition, SAACID has focussed upon developing village-level women's cooperatives, and farm extension training for rural poor. SAACID has provided those cooperatives with land, seed and mechanised ploughing to till the land. Further, SAACID has provided rural women with numeracy, literacy, business principles and agricultural education. By integrating women's issues into the overall programmes, SAACID has also been able to genuinely empower rural women into the most important resource in Somalia - water - by guaranteeing women positions in rural water committees.