VZCZCXRO8091
RR RUEHDE RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNR #0448/01 0251308
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251308Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6997
INFO RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 0062
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CJTF HOA
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 NAIROBI 000448 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
 
USAID/DCHA FOR MHESS, WGARVELINK, LROGERS 
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, GGOTTLIEB, AFERRARA, ACONVERY, 
CGOTTSCHALK, KCHANNELL 
DCHA/FFP FOR WHAMMINK, JDWORKEN 
AFR/AFR/EA FOR JBORNS 
STATE/F FOR ASISSON 
STATE FOR AF/E AND PRM 
STATE/AF/E FOR NGARY 
STATE/PRM FOR AWENDT, MMCKELVEY 
NSC FOR TSHORTLEY 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
USMISSION UN ROME FODAG FOR RNEWBERG 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PHUM PREL SO
 
SUBJECT:  SOMALIA DART SITUATION REPORT 7 NON-FOOD 
HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS 
 
REFS: A) NAIROBI 00206  B) NAIROBI 00294 
 
NAIROBI 00000448  001.2 OF 005 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1.  In fiscal year (FY) 2006, USAID's Office of U.S. 
Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) provided $6.9 
million in non-food humanitarian assistance to agencies 
focused on drought response and recovery within the 
health, nutrition, livelihood, and water, sanitation, 
and hygiene sectors.  OFDA funds three UN agencies and 
five non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Somalia. 
In FY 2007, OFDA plans to continue supporting existing 
partners and initiate support for several new agencies 
working in priority sectors.  End Summary. 
 
BACKGROUND 
 
¶2.  In 2007, the humanitarian community plans to 
prioritize assistance to southern and central regions 
in Somalia (REF A).  Regions of particular concern in 
the south include Middle Juba, Lower Juba, Gedo, Middle 
Shabelle, several districts in Bay Region, as well as 
Galgadud and Mudug regions in central Somalia.  Despite 
the recent conflict ending six months of Islamist rule 
in Somalia, the majority of humanitarian needs are 
among the drought and flood-affected communities. 
 
¶3.  OFDA has supported non-food humanitarian 
programming in Somalia since 1991.  Many of the OFDA- 
funded programs are designed to address chronic 
problems associated with drought, flooding, and 
conflict, including high malnutrition rates, poor 
access to health care services, inadequate access to 
safe drinking water, and limited livelihood 
opportunities.  In FY 2006, OFDA provided $6.9 million 
and $3.4 million to date in FY 2007 for Somalia.  This 
cable provides an overview of ongoing non-food 
humanitarian programming. (USG-funded food aid programs 
are reviewed in REF B) 
 
UN AGENCY PARTNERS 
 
¶4.  The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF $2.5 million in FY 
2006 and $1.7 million to date in FY 2007), the UN World 
Health Organization (WHO $200,000 in FY 2006), and the 
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO $700,000 in 
FY 2006 and $850,000 to date in FY 2007) are OFDA's 
current UN agency partners in Somalia. 
 
¶5.  UNICEF programming in the health, nutrition, and 
water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors assists nearly 
1.8 million beneficiaries countrywide.  To enable 
UNICEF to reach isolated communities via the Juba and 
Shabelle rivers during the flooding in December 2006, 
OFDA provided 12 Zodiac boats and motors valued at 
$250,000.  UNCEF is the cluster lead in nutrition, 
protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene.  UNICEF 
also has access to stockpiles of relief supplies and a 
wide distribution network of local and international 
NGOs.  While not the formal lead in the health cluster, 
UNICEF has played a major role in primary health care 
and maternal and child health.  With OFDA support, 
UNICEF supplies health facilities with essential 
medicine, medical equipment, and consumable supplies. 
 
¶6.  OFDA supports the UN Common Air Service (UNCAS), 
which is operated by the UN World Food Program (WFP), 
 
NAIROBI 00000448  002.2 OF 005 
 
 
via a grant to UNICEF.  Air transport of UN and NGO 
staff and relief supplies to communities in Somalia is 
a critical component of the humanitarian operation 
because insecurity, periodic flooding, and a poor road 
network limit the ability of aid agencies to access 
beneficiary populations in many areas.  Security 
concerns have caused UNCAS to curtail operations since 
December, hampering movement of UN and NGO staff and 
program supplies.  Regular UNCAS flights have resumed 
to Wajid Airport in Bakool Region and Baidoa Airport in 
Bay Region.  UN security officers are in the process of 
evaluating security and landing conditions of other 
airstrips (including Kismayo, Jowhar, and Belet Weyne) 
in flood and conflict-affected regions. 
 
¶7.  The FAO Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) provides 
evidence-based analysis of food security, nutrition, 
and livelihoods in Somalia.  Within FSAU, OFDA funds 
the nutrition surveillance program that conducts 
nutrition surveys, rapid assessments, and monitors 
nutrition sentinel sites throughout Somalia.  FSAU 
reports provide critical data on malnutrition rates, 
crop yields, livestock prices and terms of trade, and 
agricultural patterns.  FAO is also leading the 
livestock sector response for Rift Valley fever (RVF) 
in Somalia, collecting livestock samples, facilitating 
surveillance teams, and training animal health workers 
through partnerships with local and international 
animal health organizations. 
 
¶8.  WHO is the lead health sector agency in Somalia and 
works with hospitals to train staff, provides medical 
supplies, undertakes vaccination programs, and 
coordinates emergency health responses with other UN 
agencies and NGO partners, concentrating on acute 
health care services.    WHO is coordinating the response 
to RVF on the human health side in close cooperation 
with UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red 
Cross (ICRC), and local and international NGOs. 
 
NGO PARTNERS 
 
¶9.  Most NGOs working in Somalia have limited 
operational coverage.  The working environment in 
southern Somalia prohibits rapid start-up of new NGOs 
in districts or regions without exhaustive community- 
based negotiations with community leaders and local 
authorities.  Access to vulnerable communities has been 
the greatest challenge to all agencies in recent years 
due to chronic insecurity and limited capacity of local 
partners. 
 
¶10.  OFDA partners currently working in southern and 
central regions have stable national work forces that 
have been accepted by local community leaders and good 
track records implementing program activities, often 
under difficult circumstances.  The Adventist 
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA $1.3 million), 
International Medical Corps (IMC $638,000), Action 
Contre la Faim (ACF $852,000), World Concern 
($399,000), and World Vision ($250,000) are OFDA's 
current NGO partners in Somalia. 
 
¶11.  IMC implements livelihood and nutrition 
initiatives in Bakool Region targeting 10,000 
beneficiaries.  IMC is expanding its efforts into Bay 
Region to provide emergency vaccination coverage and 
 
NAIROBI 00000448  003.2 OF 005 
 
 
support supplemental feeding programs.  In January, IMC 
reported that the conflict had further delayed 
implementation of emergency health and nutrition 
programs in Dinsor District.  In December, IMC 
relocated four international staff from Somalia to 
Nairobi, where the staff remained.  However, IMC's 
programs continue to be implemented by national staff 
in Bakool and Hiraan regions.  Additionally, the 
closure of the Kenya-Somalia border prevented transport 
of IMC's cholera response supplies to Belet Weyne and 
biological samples for cholera testing to Nairobi for 
laboratory analysis. 
 
¶12.  ADRA also works in Bakool providing water, 
sanitation, and hygiene assistance to 30,000 
beneficiaries.  Despite the conflict, ADRA's program 
continues, however, the flooding delayed implementation 
of some activities.  Insecurity has suspended 
implementation of ADRA's planned activities in the 
Dinsor, Bay Region, since last July.  ADRA has 
scheduled a mission to Dinsor to negotiate access and 
program implementation issues with local authorities 
for January 22, after which program implementation may 
be able to resume. 
 
¶13.  ACF provides water, sanitation, and hygiene 
services in Bakool and Gedo regions targeting 65,000 
people.  In December and January, operations were 
uninterrupted, although, international staff did leave 
Somalia during the holiday period.  As UNCAS flights 
have resumed to Wajid, ACF's international staff have 
returned to Bakool and Gedo project sites. 
 
¶14.  World Concern implements food security, 
agriculture, and water, sanitation, and hygiene 
programs for 80,000 beneficiaries in the Middle Juba 
Region.  In October, World Concern curtailed operations 
in Jilib and Kismayo due to fighting.  World Concern's 
national staff continue program implementation, but 
without international staff, capacity building training 
for village water committees and other program 
components have been delayed.  In December, the NGO 
conducted a rapid assessment of the impact of flooding 
on riverine communities.  World Concern expects that 
operations will return to full capacity once UNCAS 
flights to Middle Juba Region resume. 
 
¶15.  World Vision provides water, sanitation, and 
hygiene assistance to 25,000 beneficiaries in Middle 
Juba Region.  World Vision has not had international 
staff in Middle Juba since late December.  However, its 
national staff continue to implement programs in 
Somalia.  The absence of international staff has 
impacted some programs, such as engineering components 
of water and sanitation activities.  As a result of the 
conflict, World Vision reports that it has not been 
able to complete repairs to damaged water points as 
scheduled.  Additionally, humanitarian flights have not 
flown into Buaale since the end of December.  World 
Vision's international staff have not been in Middle 
Juba Region since late October, except for a three-day 
monitoring and evaluation trip in mid-December. 
 
COMMON CHALLENGES 
 
¶16.  OFDA partners coordinate closely on the ground, 
dividing regions into areas of operation to avoid 
 
NAIROBI 00000448  004.2 OF 005 
 
 
overlaps, and work with other organizations to identify 
gaps.  Humanitarian coordination in Somalia is 
undertaken using the UN "cluster" system, which is 
slowly being integrated into the already existing NGO 
coordination structure under the auspices of the 
Somalia Support Secretariat with positive results. 
 
¶17.  OFDA partners sometimes experience problems in 
monitoring program implementation and moving staff and 
materials into Somalia and within the regions as a 
result of insecurity.  However, most partners report 
that assistance continues through the efforts of Somali 
national staff, although often without the technical 
support, guidance, and authority of international 
program managers who remain in Kenya. 
 
¶18.  The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian 
Affairs (OCHA) has raised concerns regarding the lack 
of current information on evolving health and nutrition 
situations in south and central Somalia, as even local 
staff are experiencing restricted movement, making 
assessments impossible.  The paucity of information is 
making long-range response planning difficult.  OCHA is 
keeping NGOs appraised of access opportunities and 
coordinating advocacy for security and humanitarian 
access with the Somali Transitional Federal Government 
(TFG). 
 
¶19.  WHO and several health NGOs have reported that 
local residents, including the war-wounded, are 
reluctant to travel to health facilities for fear of 
harassment by local bandits, freelance gunmen, and 
reconstituted warlord militias, which accounts for low 
turnout at clinics and hospitals over the past month. 
Lack of access has also hampered surveillance and 
sampling efforts needed to respond to the suspected 
outbreak of RVF in Gedo and Lower Juba regions. 
 
¶20.  Additionally, agencies have reported that 
distributions of relief supplies and health kits have 
been interrupted, primarily in and around Kismayo, 
Lower Juba Region, due to insecurity, and in Hiraan 
Region due to flood-damaged airstrips. 
 
FY 2007 FUNDING PRIORITIES 
 
¶21.  OFDA's geographic priorities are locations hardest 
hit by successive years of drought, flooding, and 
recent conflict and include all regions in southern 
Somalia and Hiraan, Galgadud, and Mudug regions in 
central Somalia. 
 
¶22.  Sectoral priorities are shelter, basic social 
services such as health care and nutritional support 
for vulnerable women and children, and water, 
sanitation, and hygiene.  Protection is becoming a 
priority sector, especially with increasing concern 
over newly laid landmines in conflict regions and the 
recruitment and abandonment of child soldiers.  OFDA 
also prioritizes livelihood activities that improve 
household income and access to resources. 
 
¶23.  In FY 2007, OFDA plans to continue support for 
UNICEF, FAO, and WHO, and initiate support for OCHA's 
coordination activities.  USAID expects to continue 
supporting the activities of its FY 2006 NGO partners 
and initiate support for several new partners in 
 
NAIROBI 00000448  005.2 OF 005 
 
 
priority assistance sectors. 
 
¶24.  Other humanitarian donors, such as the UK 
Department for International Development (DFID) and the 
Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission 
(ECHO), are proceeding cautiously, waiting to evaluate 
the full impact of the recent conflict.  In the 
meantime, donor priorities continue to be flood and 
drought recovery activities.  The UN does not 
anticipate a revision of the 2007 Consolidated Appeals 
Process (CAP) or issuing a Flash Appeal at this time. 
(REF A) 
 
RANNEBERGER