IAS has worked in Somalia since 1992

Most of the displaced people headed to Lower and Middle Shabelle regions and in particular nearest safe heaven areas. The majority of the displaced are destitute women, elderly people and children who are in dire situation for humanitarian assistance.

Large number of IDPs from Mogadishu camped in squalid settlements in Afgoye corridor (along the road between Mogadishu and Afgoye) where they sought to get protection and assistance from aid agencies. The number of IDPs in Afgoye has dramatically increased due to the recent fierce violence in Mogadishu and this contributed to the worsening of the situation of the IDPs who were already suffering from humanitarian problems.

Access to basic social services in the IDPs is very limited hence increasing magnitude of the vulnerability. Most school age going children lack access to basic education facilities hence the appeal by IAS to UNICEF to join hands and save the lives of these children. UNICEF will fund the project for the next six months with a budget of USD 96,562. This includes both material and cash support.

Project title

Basic Education Programme: Education Emergency Response for Afgoye IDPs children.

Overall Objective

To revive and restore access to basic quality education for IDP children in Afgoye corridor IDPs through establishment of child-friendly temporary learning spaces, recruitment and training of qualified primary school teachers and establishment and sensitization of community education committee from the IDP community.

Specific Objectives

- Establish 10 tented temporary learning spaces and provide education materials for 2000 displaced school age children.

- Identify, recruit and provide rapid training to 40 displaced qualified primary school teachers and community education committees to strengthen effective school management and administration and sustainability of the learning spaces.

- Carry out enrolment campaigns, community awareness raising on importance of education and children’s rights in education in 10 target IDP camps along the Afgoye corridor.

Providing Special Needs Education

Providing Special Needs Education

The vision of the project is that high quality SNE for Somali children with special needs is delivered and monitored by the national Ministry of Education, which are in the appropriate institutions to ensure implementation of national education policy (or to ensure quality education in Somalia).

The four inter-related results anticipated from the project are:

- Improved management and coordination of the SNE Subsector.
- Increased availability of special needs educational facilities.
- An improved learning environment.
- Improved quality of relevance of education.

Providing water to people in need

Pader town and the main road

The Minister flanked by the Director general, Ministry of Education, the orphanage director and IAS country representative officially opens the rehabilitated sanitation block.

The project involved construction of water supply system to all buildings at the centre, rehabilitation and expansion of the toilets, construction of an appropriate septic tank, procuring and installing of an ultra modern water storage tank. As a follow up, IAS has engaged the services of a doctor who will be training the children and the staff on health and hygiene issues for the next one year. The doctor will be visiting the center three days in a week.

The hand over ceremony was witnessed by the Honorable Minister for Family affairs, Madam Fadumo who represented the country’s first lady, the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Engineer Ali Odowa, two officials from Operation Blessing and IAS country representative.

INGOs working in Darfur are fully committed to working in accordance with humanitarian principles and international and human rights standards to ensure that humanitarian work is neutral, impartial and accountable to local communities. Further, our work aims to respect the rights of children, individuals and families.

As a community we are deeply concerned by any serious breach of humanitarian principles and work together in consultation with the people of Darfur and the local authorities to implement programmes. Currently 85% of humanitarian aid delivered in Darfur is delivered by the INGO community.

This statement is supported by 36 INGOs including:

International Aid Services (IAS), Save the Children US, Save the Children UK, Oxfam, World Vision, Concern, Care, Tearfund, International Rescue Committee, Action Contre le Faim, Norwegian Church Aid, ZOA refugee Council, International Medical Corps, War Child Holland, FAR, Save the Children Sweden, Medair, Terre Des Hommes, Action on Disability and Development, Solidarite, Acted, Merlin.

The proposed project will try to mitigate human suffering in Mogadishu area by providing Non-Food Items (NFIs), constructions of pit latrines and hygiene training to the displaced people. 2,300 displaced families currently camping in makeshifts in different parts of Mogadishu will benefit in the project. These families translate to about 5,200 persons.

The sub-goals of the project are:

1. To provide temporary shelter.
2. To provide essential households equipment/tools.
3. To improve the hygiene conditions.
4. To involve the local community.

Indicators:

1. 1200 households will have received plastic sheeting.
2. 1200 households will have received cups, plates and sufuria.
3. 50 pit latrines will have been constructed.
4. 5 committees will have been formed, one in every camp.

Time frame:

November - December 2007

IAS Director, Leif Zetterlund, receiving the Award of Honour in 2007.

Leif received the Award of Honour for his great and endless effort in assisting people in need in East Africa. He and his wife Britt have worked in Africa since 1977 and the main project activities undertaken have been within water and deep borehole drilling. It is estimated that more than 1500 boreholes have been drilled throughout the years that Leif and Britt have been involved in the relief and development work.

Along side the relief and development activities, they have a desire to see the un-reached people groups get to know God.

The whole IAS 'family' congratulate Leif and Britt for the Award of Honour!

MFSG Board

Fall at intake

The project “Sustainable Farming Tharaka” was launched beginning August 2007 with a good representation of all the stakeholders involved. IAS is providing supervision to another Danish NGO called ASSIST and support to the local implementing partner on the ground namely Manyirani Farmers Self Help Group (MSFG). MFSG was formed in 1986 by local farmers in the efforts of bringing water from the Kathita river for both domestic and irrigation but no help has been forthcoming until few years ago when the Chairman of the group Rev. Peter Karangu met Mr. Lars Frederiksen, Director of ASSIST.

The project will run for 2 years with a focus to strengthen MFSG to do similar projects in the future. The first 6 months will be used for construction of the intake at the river and laying of the 2 Km pipeline to bring water via gravity to the farmers. The remaining 1½ year will be used for training of the farmers in various topics e.g. advocacy, rights, leadership, farming, irrigation, hygiene, nutrition and reproductive health, marketing and sales.

homepage for Assist

The floods in Akuem in Bahr El Ghasal Region, Sudan, has caused a lot of damage and people are in need of assistance. The people living in the area can still trace the route leading from their ruined homes despite the water on the way.

People waiting for assistance

Displacement due to floods has extended to the villages in Yargot payam. This report follows an assessment conducted by International Aid Services (IAS) from 5th to 9th September 2007 in the mentioned payam. Villages assessed were Langic, Atuekcok , Halbull, Nyioric,Mathiort, Akuemkou Lieth anguei, Kunyuk, Anguek, Kwenwir Kar Marial and Wunliet; all in the lowland of Yargot.

Deserted homes in Awulwic village: some families have camped by the roadside; Akuem- Aweil road Awulwic village.

The day of hand-over

The day of hand-over

The day of hand-over came after a long preparation. More than 150 people took part in the festivities and there were representatives from the UN and from other organisations, the Minister of Education, the Social Minister, the Family Minister, and others. Many eyes ran wet with tears as people witnessed children formerly chained and considered crazy now actively reading, writing, playing or working in protected worshops doing their painting, baskets or woodwork.

Several speakers lifted their voices and the day culminated with the keys of the place being handed over to the Ministry of Education and the local partner, SASE (Somaliland Association for Special Education, www.sase-sl.org). The Minister guaranteed that in future the Somaliland Government will pay all salaries and a part of the running expenses. The remaining will be met through payments from parents and sponsors. IAS will continue to give advice and financial support to specific activities. Among others, we wish to enlage the place to include a ressource center and to develop the protected worshop to include production of toys. We also wish to strengthen the local partner, SASE.

The distribution policy was open; people were formed into four groups. It was a line-up distribution based on the assessment list and the person signed prior to receiving of the two blankets and one plastic sheet per household.

Beneficiares recieving the relief items

Beneficiares recieving the relief items

Beneficiares recieving the relief items

IAS Staff verifying the distribution list

Participating in the Global campaign for education

Drilling in Darfur

The main goal of the project is to provide 10,000 conflict affected populations (IDPs and resident populations) in Jebel Moon with safe and potable drinking water.

The sub-goals of the project are:

- Increased and improved access to safe water for 10,000 people;
- Enhanced water infrastructure in Kulbus Locality.

Indicators:

- 20 new boreholes drilled and installed with hand pumps;
- 20 villages with newly constructed water point with 500 users/borehole;
- Beneficiary households accessing 15 litres/person per day of safe water.

Time frame:

July - December 2007

The parents from Norway, who all have children with mental handicap travelled and met with parents in similar situation. This is the first time such a meeting has taken place in the country and it became an emotional and powerful experience for both sides. The parents in Jijiga were able to see that the problems and the hardship they experience daily, other experience as well, in other countries. This gave them comfort.

The team of 8 people visited also the new building under construction, which will be the new special education unit of mentally challenged children in the region. A further cooperation will be developed between the parent associations in the future, after an association is formed and established in Jijiga.

Cooperation between the Teacher Training College in Jijiga and the Norwegian Teacher Academy in Bergen, Norway will also be established. In Addis Ababa the team met with parents from the “Ethiopian National Association for Mentally Retarded Children and Youth”. They also visited several institutions and made contacts which might result in a future cooperation on National level in the future.

Parents from Norway meet parents in Jijiga and a first contact is established.

The new Special Needs Education Unit under construction. It will be a place for the mentally challenged children and their parent. It will be a place for assessment, counselling and advice.

IAS Special Needs Education project in Jijiga, North East Ethiopia. Eyele is 16 years old and is being carried by his mother. He is one of the children being assisted in the project.

Elizabeth Agoot Adim

In July 2002, Elizabeth was promoted to head cook a post she held up to February 2006. In March 2006, IAS encouraged her to join War Allel Teacher Training Institute. This was in line with IAS policy of staff development. She is currently a deputy guild president and will complete her training in April 2007. Her interest is to continue up to University. “I wish to continue up to University and become a graduate teacher to help children explore their potential”, she says.

Elizabeth commends IAS for giving her a chance to study again.

Alex Muzinga Lokiden IAS Education Project Coordinator Bahr El Ghasal region

It took a strong man and an arc saw to cut loose the padlock on Abdi Hafid’s leg. Scenes like these are a common occurrence in the school.

IAS through Hargeisa School for the Special Needs (HSSN) has been acting courageously in advocating for the rights of the handicapped children nationally. The agency has been strengthening the capacity of the local actors especially Somaliland Association of Special Education to offer and coordinate the rights of these children.

The awareness begins with the mind of the parents who for a long time have believed it is a curse to have mentally handicapped children. The community too needs to be de-traumatized to erase the hostile past and accept the children the way they are.

The project in Somaliland has focused on increasing education opportunities for children with special needs through inclusion. This has been done through creating more awareness, training more teachers and other personnel in education and creating facilities on special needs education.

In most cases children with special needs will be chained at home days with out end. Abdi Hafid whose picture appears above had his mother divorced when the father realized he was mentally challenged child. After some time his mother too deserted him and he had to live with an aunt who chained him permanently to a post at home. Eventually his father took him but the story of the chains continued.

It was a great joy for Abdi when he was admitted in Hargeisa School for Special needs. He had the opportunity to spend the time in school without the dehumanizing chains. There are moments when his father decides to have him spend the day at home in chains rather than go to school. Today, Abdi woke up and as his father was struggling to chain him he broke loose and ran three kilometers to school with the chain locked on is leg. He too is a target for Education for all (EFA) by 2015. We at HSSN have services designed to address the unique educational Needs like those of Abdi.

Douglas Mwiti Country Representative douglas.mwitiias.nu

Visit at the Education Bureau Head. (Minister), Mr. Abdulfatah Sheik Abdullai, who has given us support and a good cooperation.

A unit will be built to enable the project and later the unit employee to assess and diagnose the children with mental disabilities helping them to receive the necessary help and stimulation. A parent association will be formed, enabling the parents to have a voice in promoting the interests of these children in the public room.

Curriculum will be developed for the Teacher Training College in Jijiga, so as to make the students aware of these children and their needs when they are entering the teaching profession.

IAS has two partners from Norway in this project. John Ingvard Kristiansen, Lecturer at The Norwegian Teachers Academy in Bergen, who will participate in the curriculum development process. Trond Morten Osvold, Chair Person of the “Mentally Handicapped Children Parent Association” of Norway. He will assist in forming an association of parent in Jijiga.

We are looking forward to cooperate with the partners and believe their contribution will be positive for the children and parents.

Arnulf Hogetveit Country Representative arnulf.hogetveitias.nu

Water crisis in Aweil East County, Malualkuel Boma, Sudan

Lack of clean water in the village Mamir in Akuem area, Bahr El Ghasal. Look at the dirty water that the children have in their bottles.

IAS and FAO feel that the best approach is to sensitize the community on the importance of their participation towards their own development. One way this could be done is by the community coming together to form Boma Development Committees (BDC) - a representative body that will look into the problems and interests of all the people in the entire Boma. In the implementation of the first phase of the project, the project team has had some challenges. In Malualkuel Boma there is a great water crisis. There are two boreholes financed by the Aweil East Local Authorities. These are serving the entire population of the boma but are not sufficient to cater for the communities water need.

Water crisis in Aweil East County, Malualkuel Boma, Sudan

Women trek for 3 hours to the water point and 3 hours back home. But they have to queue up at the hand pump the whole day to just get 20 litres of water. This quantity of water would only last a household one day if carefully used. This means the water is only to be used for meals preparation and quenching the thirst; bathing and washing clothes can wait for the rains to set in-usually around May to June. It is a very pathetical state of affairs.

On the queue at the time the project team visited this location on 27th February, there were about 500 women with 500 empty jerricans waiting to fetch water from the only borehole left after the second borehole broke down two days before. During the meeting, the community demanded to be assured that the project team would solve the critical water situation before they could listen to anything else. It is rather difficult to talk about development where people are dying of thirst! If you are touched, think about saving the lives of this community. The photos in this story carry more messages on the plight of the Malualkuel community.

Joseph Mwirigi IAS in Bahr El Ghasal

New building being constructed for the Children Centre, Addis Abeba

Mr. Witzke was welcomed with singing by the children. During the afternoon the children played and received refreshments before going back to their foster homes. The ten children living at the centre, continued with activities until the program finished in late afternoon.

The building will contain three classrooms and one hall for activities. There will also be new sanitation facilities with toilettes and showers both for girls and boys. A new kitchen will be in place to provide the children with food, prepared in a sanitary environment.

We are all looking forward to see the new building finished, hopefully in the end of this year or in the beginning of next.

Arnulf Hogetveit Country Representative arnulf.hogetveitias.nu