Strategic Area:    Sustainable Livelihoods
Alignment with strategic plan:  Poverty Reduction and achievement of MDG’s
Project Name:  Employment Generation for Early Recovery in South Central Somalia
Duration:     2008-2010

Project Summary:

The project addresses the urgent issue of income generation and job creation in South Central Somalia, through a community based approach, aiming to build permanent capacities and increased skills levels, while addressing direct income generation priorities for the most affected parts of both IDP and host communities. By applying a community based approach and involving the beneficiary communities in all phases of project identification and implementation, through Community Management Committees, it is aiming for local ownership of the project works, thus enhancing the sustainability of the project works, empowering local communities and contributing to much needed improvements in living conditions in South Central Somalia. If an overall conducive context is created, the project will provide excellent opportunities for synergies with other initiatives (including other livelihood activities, support to local governance and DDR). It is also expected that this project will have a significant conflict mitigation effect, providing livelihood opportunities to marginalized segments of the local communities, which may otherwise be forced into a vicious conflict cycle.

In order to address both the short term income generation as well as the longer term job creation, the project aims to implement a wide variety of community priorities, ranging from infrastructure rehabilitations (irrigation works, roads, market places, etc), to vocational trainings, start-up grants and micro-credits.  Women and youth are specific focus groups for the project, as they are most affected by the current conflicts and represent the most vulnerable groups within the Somali society.   

In light of the unstable security situation in Somalia, the implementing structure is designed to be flexible, both in terms of geographical areas and in terms of implementation modalities. The project aims to involve to the maximum extend local capacities, such as Community Management Committees, existing networks of  Somali Non Governmental Organizations and contracted national monitoring capacity. The project will be jointly implemented by UNDP and ILO, whereby UNDP has assumed overall management responsibility, while ILO will implement specific project components, in line with its core competencies.

Expected outputs:

• Improved social and economic community infrastructure throughout the region;
• Improved socio-economic situation for large groups of the most vulnerable population, through cash income, improved skills, grants and micro credits;
• Improved capacities of the existing vocational training centers;
• Somali National NGO networks strengthened through capacity building and implementation of sub-projects.
 

Implementation and achievements:

The project is currently (May 2008) in the start-up phase.