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Mogadishu Food Kitchens
Throughout the course of 2007, the humanitarian situation in central and southern Somalia continued to deteriorate, as the Western-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), supported by Ethiopian military forces, attempted to crush opposition to its rule by force-of-arms.
Mogadishu is the historical capital of Somalia, and is easily the largest population cluster in the country. It has also been the heart of ongoing instability in the country that has left it in an anarchic state for the past 19 years. Throughout 2007, the TFG/Ethiopians attempted to crush opposition to their rule in Mogadishu. The result was 1.2 million displaced; with 500,000 in critical need of lifesaving assistance.
SAACID operated 75 food kitchens in partnership with ICRC back in 1992-3, when the US and UN were pushing for a ‘new world order’. With the levels of suffering and desperation again reaching the 1991-3 levels, SAACID requested and received support to establish 10 wet food feeding centres throughout Mogadishu from a number of INGOs, UN agencies and donor governments. Including, Oxfam Novib, Danish Refugee Council, World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), the Dutch Government, the Norweign Government and the Swedish Government; as well as from all the communities residing within war-torn Mogadishu.
SAACID’s operational philosophy is driven by a rights-based approach. For the food kitchen initiative, this “rights-based approach” is manifest by providing local Mogadishu communities with as much empowerment and ownership as possible. To this end, SAACID conducted a 2-day mobilisation workshop for 120 key community leaders from all communities residing within the city (18-19 November 2007). That workshop resulted in local Mogadishu communities taking full ownership of the initiative, and identifying and agreeing upon 10 sites within the 16 districts of the city. Then establishing the food kitchens at those sites, and agreeing upon operating procedures, local hiring, and local input and ownership as to how they would be operated.
A key feature of the kitchens is that they are open to any and all who need a lifesaving meal - without favour to gender, age or clan. This unanimous philosophy has meant that the kitchens have immense support from all sectors of the public; and there has been no conflict at all at any of the sites.
The kitchens provide 1 cooked meal per day to those wanting a meal. The meal recipe consists of, 375 grams of cooked maize powder; 250 grams of pulses; 0.025 millilitres of vegetable oil; 0.06 grams of CSB; and a ‘soup’, consisting of half a lime, garlic, salt, Somali spices, tomato, onion, salt, Kamsar Caleen (Somali – unknown translation), Xawaash (Somali – unknown translation), and 1 banana. The recipe is consistent with local cultural tastes. The meal represents a calorie count of approximately 2,000 Kcal, with lipids at 15.9% (the normal range is 15-30%) and protein at 13.7% (the normal range is 10-15%). The meal recipe has no meat – because of cost; and because if the meal is too good, then those in lesser need will also come to the kitchens, and it will create unnecessary conflict. The meal is very basic, but genuinely lifesaving for those receiving it.
Mogadishu is the historical capital of Somalia, and is easily the largest population cluster in the country. It has also been the heart of ongoing instability in the country that has left it in an anarchic state for the past 19 years. Throughout 2007, the TFG/Ethiopians attempted to crush opposition to their rule in Mogadishu. The result was 1.2 million displaced; with 500,000 in critical need of lifesaving assistance.
SAACID operated 75 food kitchens in partnership with ICRC back in 1992-3, when the US and UN were pushing for a ‘new world order’. With the levels of suffering and desperation again reaching the 1991-3 levels, SAACID requested and received support to establish 10 wet food feeding centres throughout Mogadishu from a number of INGOs, UN agencies and donor governments. Including, Oxfam Novib, Danish Refugee Council, World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), the Dutch Government, the Norweign Government and the Swedish Government; as well as from all the communities residing within war-torn Mogadishu.
SAACID’s operational philosophy is driven by a rights-based approach. For the food kitchen initiative, this “rights-based approach” is manifest by providing local Mogadishu communities with as much empowerment and ownership as possible. To this end, SAACID conducted a 2-day mobilisation workshop for 120 key community leaders from all communities residing within the city (18-19 November 2007). That workshop resulted in local Mogadishu communities taking full ownership of the initiative, and identifying and agreeing upon 10 sites within the 16 districts of the city. Then establishing the food kitchens at those sites, and agreeing upon operating procedures, local hiring, and local input and ownership as to how they would be operated.
A key feature of the kitchens is that they are open to any and all who need a lifesaving meal - without favour to gender, age or clan. This unanimous philosophy has meant that the kitchens have immense support from all sectors of the public; and there has been no conflict at all at any of the sites.
The kitchens provide 1 cooked meal per day to those wanting a meal. The meal recipe consists of, 375 grams of cooked maize powder; 250 grams of pulses; 0.025 millilitres of vegetable oil; 0.06 grams of CSB; and a ‘soup’, consisting of half a lime, garlic, salt, Somali spices, tomato, onion, salt, Kamsar Caleen (Somali – unknown translation), Xawaash (Somali – unknown translation), and 1 banana. The recipe is consistent with local cultural tastes. The meal represents a calorie count of approximately 2,000 Kcal, with lipids at 15.9% (the normal range is 15-30%) and protein at 13.7% (the normal range is 10-15%). The meal recipe has no meat – because of cost; and because if the meal is too good, then those in lesser need will also come to the kitchens, and it will create unnecessary conflict. The meal is very basic, but genuinely lifesaving for those receiving it.
For those interested in
monitoring the weekly status and progress of the Mogadishu food
kitchens, or to view cumulative reports and human interest stories, see: Food Kitchens Monitoring
Mogadishu Food Kitchens - Overview Photo Gallery
Mogadishu Food Kitchens - Overview Photo Gallery
On 25 November 2007 the first 3 kitchens came online. Within a week, the remaining 7 planned sites came onto online, and have functioned fully since their inception. There was
agreement that each site would deliver a maximum of 5,000 meals at each
site every day – 50,000 meals per day. The initiative was initially funded for 16 weeks.
A second phase of 6 months was then agreed to, and collectively funded until the end of October 2008 by DRC, WFP, ECHO, UN-OCHA, Oxfam Novib, USAID, Swedish Government, Danish Government, Norwegian Government, The $10 Club, and individual donors. In the second phase, the programme was expanded to 16 sites - each delivering 5,000 meals per day (a total of 80,000 meals per day total).
Since that time, 4 more phases have been successfully completed; and a 6th 6-month phase is now underway (June-November 2010), with the donors including, DRC, WFP, ECHO, UN-OCHA, USAID, Swedish Government, Danish Government, Norwegian Government and French Government commiting funds until November 2010. DRC is placed in the special position of also providing monitoring and quality assurance for the programme.
In January 2009, the Ethiopian military withdrew from their occupation of Somalia. A new Western and UN-backed Islamic theoracy was installed, in an attempt to mitigate Islamic extremism. This latest attempt at governance has floundered as well, and oposition (including more-and-more Islamic jihadists) are again increasing their military opposition to the Western and UN-backed government. The result has been more displacement and a continuing degradation of livelihoods of poor Somalis. The empirical effect of ongoing conflict (and drought) has been that the 80,000 official 2,000 calorie daily meals are now being shared by 319,885 (average) people daily.
On June 20 2009, all sites were suspended due to systemic insecurity; and becasue SAACID's main administrative compound was occupied (and remains occupied) by opposition militiamen. The programme was restarted on the 29th of July 2009. At present, all 16 sites are operational.
Phase VI of the programme, which began on 1 June, is being funded by DRC, WFP, ECHO and the Swedish Government.
The programme is continuing into week 136. As of 27 June 2010, some 52,253,989 hot meals have been successfully delivered to the starving in the city. See Hot Meal Distribution
A second phase of 6 months was then agreed to, and collectively funded until the end of October 2008 by DRC, WFP, ECHO, UN-OCHA, Oxfam Novib, USAID, Swedish Government, Danish Government, Norwegian Government, The $10 Club, and individual donors. In the second phase, the programme was expanded to 16 sites - each delivering 5,000 meals per day (a total of 80,000 meals per day total).
Since that time, 4 more phases have been successfully completed; and a 6th 6-month phase is now underway (June-November 2010), with the donors including, DRC, WFP, ECHO, UN-OCHA, USAID, Swedish Government, Danish Government, Norwegian Government and French Government commiting funds until November 2010. DRC is placed in the special position of also providing monitoring and quality assurance for the programme.
In January 2009, the Ethiopian military withdrew from their occupation of Somalia. A new Western and UN-backed Islamic theoracy was installed, in an attempt to mitigate Islamic extremism. This latest attempt at governance has floundered as well, and oposition (including more-and-more Islamic jihadists) are again increasing their military opposition to the Western and UN-backed government. The result has been more displacement and a continuing degradation of livelihoods of poor Somalis. The empirical effect of ongoing conflict (and drought) has been that the 80,000 official 2,000 calorie daily meals are now being shared by 319,885 (average) people daily.
On June 20 2009, all sites were suspended due to systemic insecurity; and becasue SAACID's main administrative compound was occupied (and remains occupied) by opposition militiamen. The programme was restarted on the 29th of July 2009. At present, all 16 sites are operational.
Phase VI of the programme, which began on 1 June, is being funded by DRC, WFP, ECHO and the Swedish Government.
The programme is continuing into week 136. As of 27 June 2010, some 52,253,989 hot meals have been successfully delivered to the starving in the city. See Hot Meal Distribution