Final Report Name of Project Somalia Emergency and Livelihood Intervention Program II (SELIP-2) Somalia - Galmudug, Lower and Middle Shabelle, Banadir, and Country and Regions Lower Juba as well as in new drought-affected areas in Gedo and Baidoa (IDP camps). Donor USAID/OFDA Award Number/Symbol AID-OFDA-G-16-00265-01 Start and End Date of Program August 1, 2016 – July 31, 2018 Start and End Date of Reporting Period August 1, 2016 – July 31, 2018 Final Report Date October 31, 2018 Somalia Emergency and Livelihood Intervention Program II (SELIP) Final Report Date: October 31, 2018 Executive Summary Mercy Corps has implemented SELIP II program since August 2016, providing critical life-saving and recovery emergency intervention, initially targeting 66,400 individuals of the most vulnerable disaster-affected households in villages and/or IDP camps, with an initial budget of $2,500,000. Despite the success of SELIP II in responding to humanitarian needs of conflict and climate-affected populations across Somalia, in early 2017 the country experienced severe drought conditions that continued to worsen throughout the year, and Mercy Corps requested an addition budget of $4,000,000 in cost extension. This enabled Mercy Corps to support the disaster-affected communities and families with critical and immediate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) needs/services, expanded economic recovery and market systems (ERMS) support, and targeted agriculture and food security activities in the South Central Somalia regions of Galmudug, Lower and Middle Shabelle, Banadir, and Lower Juba as well as in new drought-affected areas in Gedo and Baidoa (IDP camps). Mercy Corps implemented the program in partnership with two sub-awardees, Juba Foundation and NARDO, to reach the vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities. Villages targeted include Marka, Qoryoley and Barawe districts in Lower Shabelle region (Juba Foundation) and Dolo, Bula Hawa, Bardere and Luuq in Gedo (NARDO). These villages were adversely affected by the worsening drought,,inter/intra clan conflicts, Alshabaab-AMISOM and/or incursions by Somali Federal Government forces. Key sectors of focus of SELIP II Program included WASH, agriculture and food security, and livelihoods. Livelihood initiatives prioritized short-term job creation, improved household access to food, and rejuvenated of local markets. Likewise, through food security activities, 57 vital agricultural facilities were rehabilitated. The WASH interventions have ensured access to clean potable water for 311,870 indirect individuals. Mercy Corps distributed seeds and farming tools to 9,900 small scale farmers who lacked seed and adequate farming tools due to drought or insecurity in villages. Irrigation canals were rehabilitated to support farmers to regenerate their farming activities. This improved household food security and increased income in the Middle and Lower Shabelle regions. The seeds were tested and certified by Darusalam, a registered seed grower that has been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO in Somalia. Additionally, 2,336 vulnerable agro-pastoral and pastoralist households in Merka, Qoryoley, Dolow, Luuq, Beled-Hawo and Baardhere districts of South and Central Somalia were supplied with animal feeds (grass and maize stove) in order to protect their core breeding animals and their livelihood assets. Moreover, 290 community animal health workers received training on basic veterinary services and were provided with professional kits to engage in animal health veterinary services within their local communities. These activities improved livestock production and facilitated recovery from the recent drought. Mercy Corps implemented new livelihoods development activities consisting of basic tailoring skills training. A total of 264 female beneficiaries, who were displaced by the drought and conflict and currently residing in Galkacyo, Mogadishu, and Kismayu were trained for a period of 6 weeks, after which the beneficiaries were equipped with tailoring machines, start-up materials and formed small scale cooperatives. The trainings were conducted by a skilled tailoring trainer. As a result of these trainings, 66 cooperative groups were formed. The implementation of the OFDA SELIP II program faced challenges related to the prolonged drought and conflict displacements of households, forced evictions, limited humanitarian access, and multi-layered government administrations. Despite these challenges, Mercy Corps and its two local partners have prioritized the implementation of timely interventions in the areas covered by the OFDA SELIP II grant to improve the ability of drought and conflict affected households and communities in Somalia (targeted regions in South Central Zone of Somalia) to respond to their immediate needs, restore their livelihoods, and build capacity for long-term recovery to enhance the communities’ ability to cope with and recover from natural shocks. Somalia Emergency and Livelihood Intervention Program II (SELIP) Final Report Date: October 31, 2018 Introduction In August 2016, Mercy Corps began to implement the Somalia Emergency and Livelihoods Intervention Program II (SELIP II) with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). This program was designed in conjunction with USAID/OFDA, drawing on Mercy Corps’ strengths and experiences in providing aid in agriculture, livestock, Economic Recovery and Market Systems and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Somalia. While Somalia has been experiencing a devastating conflict for decades, not all parts of the country have been affected in the same way, and responses should be accordingly nuanced. One of the main characteristics of SELIP II is the combination of emergency relief interventions – such as agriculture kit distribution, and water trucking – with those that take a more resilience and medium-term focused approach. Support for farmers by providing input or rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure, rehabilitation of feeder roads, and teaching women and youth life skills allow people to draw upon the resources they have and build toward a post-conflict future. With this multi-level approach, SELIP II provided immediate aid while simultaneously bolstering the ability of Somalis to cope with the shocks of the conflict and drought. Given the complexities of the operational environment in Central Somalia, Mercy Corps emphasized accountability throughout SELIP II, as we have with our other projects. We developed robust monitoring and evaluation (MEL) mechanisms supported with our feedback mechanism, a method for people to reach us with complaints, inquiries or encouragement through a number of channels, ensured we heard the voices of those we are trying to serve. We held ourselves accountable to our local partners, by building their capacity through close work with our teams and setting them up for a sustainable future. Despite difficult circumstances, Mercy Corps was able to adapt and respond to emergent needs and situations throughout SELIP II. When security concerns precluded operations in areas intended for interventions, we engaged communities, other humanitarian actors, and the full breadth of our program to continue to provide services, or, if insurmountable, shifted to address needs elsewhere. Ultimately, Mercy Corps and its local implementing partners, Juba Foundation and NARDO, were able to respond to the emergency situations in Somalia, particularly in the South/Central Zone of the country, caused by the recurrent droughts, inter-clan conflicts, floods, insurgents, and Al-Shabaab. The response reduced the suffering of 136,497 households (682,485 individuals) of displaced Somalis. The support of USAID/OFDA lessened the impact of the crisis on these community lives and saved lives. Somalia Emergency and Livelihood Intervention Program II (SELIP) Final Report Date: October 31, 2018 Program Achievements SECTOR 1: Agriculture and Food Security Agriculture is the mainstay of the rural Somali economy: about 80% of the rural population in Somalia practices farming for 9,900 farmers benefited from their livelihoods. Central South Somalia in particular has been seed systems and agricultural experiencing food insecurity, and farmers required agricultural tools inputs to help restore asset bases, including seeds and tools. Support to small farms in Somalia encourages agricultural Increased food security by 4.7 production and thereby improves the food security of vulnerable months for smallholder farmers IDPs and host-community households as well as providing a source of income generation. Mercy Corps carried out the 290 Community Animal Health Agriculture and Food Security component of the SELIP II Workers were trained in program throughout the Gu and Dey planting seasons through veterinary services small farm agriculture kits and livestock support, including the distribution of goats and fodder. 33,980 people and 72,760 Small Farm Kits animals benefitted from livestock and fodder interventions The objective of small farm activities is to increase crop production at the household and community level. At the 12,000 hectares of land household level, this enables farmers to improve FSL regained irrigation, benefitting opportunities and to use the income generated to replant 30,455 people without assistance in future seasons. At the community level, increased crop production helps in achieving seed security for future planting seasons, which in turn increases