is going to be a priority for SERDA. This is because various diseases threaten entire populations. This includes HIV Aids, malaria, TB, diarrhea diseases, and mental health problems. Government has a few MCH in strategic places. In many areas, they remain few and far apart, hence inaccessible and inadequate as compared to demand. Staff is few and in places not well qualified. Drugs are inadequate and monitoring and surveillance systems lacking. SERDA will contribute to making the health sector better by soliciting volunteer health workers from all over the world, asking for donations in kind (drugs and equipment) and putting up small but effective health outposts.

SERDA will join various partners in championing tree planting, sensitizing communities from cutting trees and finding alternatives like solar cookers, bio-gas, use of cooking briquettes and fuel saving stoves. In addition, SERDA will mount extensive awareness rising programs against felling the natural forest trees and destructions of soil cover vegetation. SERDA will in earnest establish several nursery trees sites in the most deforested areas of the region. Other activities will be checking soil erosion, gully formations as a result of run-off water. There will be marine environment protection to save the fish which is bedrock of Somalia’s economy and source of income for thousands.

SERDA will work with government, private education schools proprietors and funding partners to promote an active learning environment through provision of teaching aids, exercise and text books, facilitation of qualified teachers, promotion of formal and non formal skills training and infrastructure development of classrooms, toilets, libraries and laboratories. If the country is to develop, the acquisition of a critical pool of skilled personnel in various sectors is paramount.  SERDA will explore study bursaries, tuition grants, recruiting qualified educationists from outside to mentor local teachers, and getting volunteer teachers from outside.

to those affected by natural disasters and conflict as well as support every effort to promote social inclusion of IDPs/Returnees and refugees with the host communities according to the IDPs guiding principles and universal declaration for the right of refugees and minorities. It is an inherent act to support those affected by calamity. We will join others in offering support in form of food and non food items, sometimes mobilizing the local community itself to offer manpower, used clothes, food, or transport facilities and temporary accommodation to affected households.

–will be through vocational skills training, agricultural credit provision, restocking for pastoral communities affected by drought and cash-for-work strategy of community development in areas of health, water and sanitation , education, infrastructure development and the protection of those marginalized. This will encompass poverty reduction initiatives through technological innovations in agriculture, fishing as well as income generation activities (IGAs). Somalia needs to re-examine the status quo of say the fishing approaches and devise other means like pond fishing. Planting fodder over the rain season and storing it in barns may help mitigate the drought effect. Households need to be supported to dig underground tanks and plastic rain harvest tanks to store water which is wasted during the rains.

for appropriate legislation especially for protection of women and the girl-child, children in general, persons with disabilities, the elderly and migrant communities and asylum seeks and the foreigners from the neighboring countries who are in fear of torture, persecution and child exploitation particularly, through UN Human protection guidelines. The laws are in many areas not in place, and where they are, are not implemented. SERDA will be strong activists and mobilize communities in this regard.

Campaigns to further protect and empower the Somali woman from spousal and clan abuse and improving the rights of women in the customary and national decision making structures, as well highlighting for prosecution of violence against children and women such as rape, FGM, emotional abuse and neglect. This includes policy advocacy against negative cultural practices like FGM, prearranged early marriages and clan warfare. The abuse of women –physical and emotional is leading to an escalation of divorce and family break up. This if not checked will breed an instable community in future without strong family values.

SERDA will use its manpower to train other local    NGOs in aspects of project cycle skills. This includes proposal writing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. This is aimed at supporting civil society in effective service delivery and accountability to the funding agencies.  SERDA will constantly review its own capacity and build it accordingly.