IMPROVING IDP HOUSEHOLDS THROUGH UNCONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFERS

by | Sep 9, 2020

Qoran Abdi Mohamud an IDP in Dayaan IDP camp Abudwak district

Meet Qoran Abdi Mohamud, a mother of eight children who has lived in the Dayaan IDP camp Abudwak district for seven years. Qoran was primarily a pastoralist with herds of goats and sheep. The subsequent droughts and inter-clan conflicts in the region greatly affected and displaced her, and she lost the herd she had.

Life was desolate during periods of persistent drought when access to food was a big hurdle as food prices would shoot up. The only support my family had previously received but on an irregular basis, was food aid from humanitarian organizations,” She says.

Qoran worked causal jobs but struggled to make ends meet.  As the sole provider for her eight children, she found it challenging to balance the need to work and care for them.

As part of the livelihood interventions, Nomadic Assistance for Peace and Development (NAPAD), with funding from Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), is supporting 400HHS IDPs and vulnerable host communities in Abudwak district with unconditional cash transfers (UCTs). Each household is receiving 124 dollars per month for three months. The beneficiaries were fairly selected from their respective camps and settlements by their community leaders following the standard selection criteria set by NAPAD.

When I received the money there was no food in our house.

Qoran abdi

Qoran’s life took a positive turn when she was one of the vulnerable households selected to benefit from the cash transfer program.

Qoran prepares a meal with the foodstuff she brought after receiving the UCT

I received 124 dollars in July through my Mobile, and I was thrilled to get such support,” Said Qoran. “The money I received I used to clear some debt, purchase foodstuff, water, firewood, and some clothes for the family. When I received the cash, there was no food in our house,” she continues.

Qoran also informed us that she is awaiting two more cash transfers in the following months; this will improve her family’s well-being and relieve the burden and worry about how she would carter for her family for those two months.

Qoran is grateful that NAPAD, intervened with this initiative to assist the vulnerable families in Abudwak and encourages NAPAD and SHF to continue supporting all displaced families. She says:

The IDP camps here are where the poorest families live and providing such support at a time like this will enable the affected families to meet daily household needs.”