Rapid Response Payment No. 27/2007
Funds Sent To: Norwegian Church Aid Somalia
Amount Sent: US$ 50,000
Date: 1 November 2007
Details of Payment
Emergency: Assistance to IDPs in Puntland, Somalia
Date of Emergency: 1 November 2007
Implementing member: Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)
Details of the Emergency: Increased tension between the self-declared republic of Somaliland and the neighbouring self-declared autonomous region of Puntland has led to the displacement of thousands of people from the area. The dispute was at its peak on 17 October 2007 when forces loyal to the Somaliland administration took control of the Sool regional capital Las Anod, which was previously controlled by Puntland.
Due to the high tension and insecurity in the affected area, assessments of damages could only be conducted recently. A preliminary assessment estimates about 9,000 families (roughly 54,000 people) who have been displaced from Las Anod and its surrounding areas. Many of them fled to different directions seeking refuge in the adjoining remote districts.
According to the Puntland based Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Agency (HADMA) Rapid Assessment Report, those affected are living in the open air without food, shelter and adequate drinking water. The HADMA report concluded that a serious humanitarian crisis will inevitably develop should immediate assistance fail to reach the affected population.
HADMA identified food and non-food items, water supply, healthcare and shelter as the immediate needs of the affected population: The agency made three recommendations, that:
All humanitarian actors working in Puntland take immediate action to prevent the outbreak of a humanitarian crisis
Take urgent action to supply of food and non-food items to the affects population
Parallel with the emergency intervention, undertake thorough assessment of the situation and aim to contribute towards its durable solution.
Purpose of Response: ACT member in Somalia the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) plans to supply non-food items and supply of drinking water.
Beneficiary information and location of response:
The location of the response are the remote areas within the Sool Region. This includes villages such as Sarmayo, Gorofley, Awr Bogays, Holhol and Lafweyne.
Proposed Assistance: This RRF is to complement NCA's efforts in Puntland. The NCA intervention (with a budget of US$50,000) aims to supply the standard NCA survival kit to 500 IDP families. In addition, the current proposal will also aim to supply drinking water to the target population for a period of 10 days.
Implementation Period: The implementation period will be one month from 1 November 2007.
TOTAL BUDGET: US$ 50,000
(For the budget details, kindly visit the ACT site. Thank you.)
ACTION
The ACT Co-ordinating Office has approved the use of US$ 50,000 towards the budget from its Rapid Response Fund and would be grateful to receive contributions to wholly or partially replenish this payment. The payment of US$50,000 is being made.
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ACT is a global alliance of Churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
