Somalia: Cash Assistance Brings Relief to Flood-Affected Families in Jowhar District

lt situation, as a mother of seven kids. Just like families affected by the flooding her house was destroyed by the floods. This left Sharifo and her children without a place to stay food to eat or even basic necessities. Her main worry was figuring out how to take care of her kids and keep them safe. The floodwaters washed away everything she had including crops and animals making her life more uncertain.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) intervened in the situation with cash assistance funded by the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) through the Somalia Cash Consortium. The cash assistance was tailored to help families, like Sharifo who suffered the most from the floods. The project focused on flood-affected families including those led by women.

NRC team on the ground did community mobilization and also gave special attention to the targeting and selection process of the multi-purpose cash assistance which was crucial. NRC also collaborated closely with the village relief committees and local authorities to select and reach those mostly affected by the situation.

Sharifo was selected as a participant of the cash assistance. She received $110 per month for a period of three months that enabled her and her family to access basic needs like food, water, medicine and other essential needs for her family.

She found that having the cash, on hand allowed her to focus on what mattered to her in that moment and empowered her to take control of the dire situation. “The assistance came at the right time. I felt a huge sense of relief when I was selected for the cash support. Everything was well-organized, from mobilization to the selection and targeting process. The families who received the cash aid were all affected by the floods, and this help arrived just when we needed it the most. I sincerely thank everyone who supported us during this critical time.”