Profile of Horn of Africa Relief and Development Organization

“If we can help people learn to improve and share their resources and respect each other’s human rights, we can transform violent conflict into peaceful cooperation”
Fatima Jibrell
Executive Director, Horn Relief

Our Mission

The Horn of Africa Relief and Development Organization is dedicated to creating sustainable peace and development in Somalia through grassroots capacity building, developing youth leadership, empowerment of women, and protection of the environment. Horn Relief promotes lasting change in Somalia by assisting Somali communities to define and satisfy their own developmental needs. Horn Relief operates under the mandate that access to resources, political decision-making, and education should be open to all individuals regardless of gender. It is our fundamental belief that peace and development in Somalia has to be determined and led by Somalis.

We pursue this mission through an integrated, holistic approach to:

• Strengthening community capacity for self-sufficiency
• Empowering women to participate in all levels of decision-making
• Educating youth in areas of human rights, leadership, human and animal health, and natural resource management
• Promoting peace
• Protecting the environment
• Advocating among national and international decision-makers to include Somalis in the development process

Formation

For over ten years, Horn Relief has been working with communities to create a better future for Somalia. Horn Relief has worked specifically with pastoral women and youth to take charge of creating a better life for themselves and future generations. Over the last decade, Horn Relief has evolved into a leading grassroots development organization that is recognized internationally for its achievements in social, political, and environmental change in Somalia. Fatima Jibrell, Executive Director, won the 2002 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa for her leadership in creating a social and environmental movement in Somalia.

Horn Relief was established in 1991, in response to Somalia’s devastating humanitarian crisis and civil war. Horn Relief was created to assist displaced persons and refugees in flight. After realizing the real solution to the refugee problem was addressing the crisis and lack of stability in Somalia, Horn Relief turned its efforts toward long-term peace and development strategies in Somalia. Horn Relief moved to Somalia in 1992. Today Horn Relief supports a number of community-managed projects that promote development in education, natural resource management, economic development, and peace.

Horn Relief’s philosophy of development is based on a community led integrated approach. Horn Relief works with Somali communities to define their development needs and then works to create a strategy to meet them. Holistic development is the basis of Horn Relief’s work in Somalia.

Horn Relief’s Accomplishments

Education

Horn Relief developed and initiated three unique education programs, the Pastoral Youth Leadership (PYL) program, Preparing Girls for PYL, and Women Literacy. These programs are designed to provide Somalia’s youth and women an opportunity to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to improve their lives and create a future for Somalia that is based on peace and sustainable development.

Pastoral Youth Leadership Program

Developing innovative, accountable, democratic leadership among Somali youth would seem to be an obvious strategy for a viable future with respect for human rights, peace, and the environment. Horn Relief is one of the few organizations in the world working to develop a social movement based on youth leadership to address environmental, social, and political issues. Horn Relief’s goal is to provide Somalia’s pastoral youth with a relevant education that will empower them to improve their lives.

Preparing Girls for PYL

Preparing Girls for the Pastoral Youth Leadership program specifically addresses the causes of low enrollment of girls in school by providing an education that is free, at appropriate times, and meets the specific needs of young women in Sanaag. The classes are conducted in the evenings when most girls are free from household chores; the flexibility of the classes allows the inclusion of as many girls as possible. The learning centers are strategically located, to ensure easy access by women. The curriculum used in the program has been designed with participation from the community to ensure it is relevant to young women’s issues and concerns.

Women’s Literacy Program

The objective of the Women’s Literacy Program is to provide basic literacy and numeracy training to women, inform women of their human rights, and expose them to democratic civic education to promote greater participation of women in all levels of decision-making. Horn Relief expects to train 2000 women in Bari, 1000 in Sanaag, and 1000 women in Sool.

Natural Resource Management

Currently, with no government and no laws regulating the environment, Somalia’s natural resources are being stripped at a rate that is unsustainable and will leave a barren wasteland for generations to come.

Horn Relief has been leading campaigns to stop charcoal production and protect Somalia’s marine environment for the over 10 years. For Fatima Jibrell’s efforts to protect Somalia’s natural resources she received the Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa in 2002.

Horn Relief was one of the founding members of the Resource Management Somali Network (RMSN). The Network is made up of 14 local NGOs from all over Somalia that work with communities to undertake responsible and sustainable management of their natural resources. Horn Relief has been an active member for six years.

Energy Improved Stoves

Horn Relief, in partnership with Adventists Development and Relief Agency, trained women in Bosasso in making energy improved stoves and supported the businesswomen in marketing the stoves. This not only helped the women in generating incomes but also reduced the amount of wood cut for fuel.

Promoting Peace

The greatest casualties of Somalia’s civil war have been women and children. This reality has motivated women to be at the forefront of rebuilding peace and life in Somalia. For over ten years Horn Relief has been supporting the women’s peace movement. Horn Relief organized a Women’s Peace Forum in Puntland in 2002. The Women’s Peace Forum is designed to initiate a dialogue and bring together women to work towards strengthening the momentum of the women’s peace and human rights movement in Puntland. The Forum brings women peace builders together to share experiences, information, and to identify areas of cooperation among their organizations.

The success of the Women’s Peace Forum led Horn Relief to get involved in organizing women peace activists at the national level. Horn Relief, with funding from the European Commission, initiated a project to enhance the participation of women at the Somali Peace Conference. Horn Relief is supporting 21 women observers through the provision of technical support in order to develop their capacity for effective engagement in the process, and monitoring and documentation of their activities.

Partners

Our greatest working partner over time has been Novib (the Dutch Oxfam) that has funded most of our main activities. These have included among others the PYL Project, the RMSN, our water projects and numerous peace activities. We have also partnered with Oxfam Canada, Mennonite Central Committee, Global Fund for Women, Global Fund for Children, Urgent Action, Food Aid Organization, Diakonia-Sweden, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Energy Alternatives Africa

Water Projects

Horn Relief rehabilitated two boreholes in Buran and El-buh village. These two villages were hard hit by the 1997 and the recent 1999 drought. These boreholes are expected to become self-sustaining and provide accessible and clean water for humans, livestock, and wildlife.

During the beginning of the year (2002), Horn Relief was involved in emergency water trucking to various drought affected villages in eastern Sanaag.

In 2003 Horn Relief has teamed up with NPA (Norwegian People’s Aid) to address the water crisis in Sanaag. Horn Relief will work with local communities to rehabilitate five non-functioning boreholes (wells), two shallow wells, and three ballis (dirt water catchments). The goal is to bring water closer to communities and enhance availability of water along the traditional livestock migration routes.

Offices and Human Resource

Horn Relief has its head office in Africa in Nairobi, Kenya; its field office is in Bosasso, Puntland. The Nairobi office, which is simply in place to support field activities and fundraise, is staffed by the Deputy Director, Finance Officer, Administrator and other support staff. The field office is managed by the Field Manager who is an Engineer and 5 other administrative staff. We have close network of on-call volunteers spread over all of eastern Somalia who assist in our various programs. Fatima Jibrell who is the Executive Director maintains oversight over both offices.

Networks

Horn Relief believes that positive, sustainable peace and development for Somalia will be a result of cooperation and co-ordination between organizations actively working towards similar goals throughout Somalia. To this end Horn Relief is involved in consultations and activities with different organizations and agencies on various issues concerning Somalia. This include among others:

• RMSN of which Horn Relief is a founder member.
• We Are Women Activists (WAWA). This is a network of activist Somali women’s organizations working towards peace and human rights through women’s participation in decision-making at all levels of civil society, the economy, and the state.
• Member of Peace and Human Rights Network (PHRN). This is a network of organizations dedicated to promoting sustainable peace and human rights in civil society throughout Somalia.
• Horn Relief has been actively involved within the Somali NGO Consortium in consolidating the voice of the Somali NGOs and working together with them so as to build a single credible and coherent voice.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of eight members. The board meets once a year assesses and sets polices for the organization. Mrs. Fatima Jibrell was unanimously elected to head the organization’s regional office in Africa, as it’s Executive Director. Mrs. Jibrell has extensive experience in human rights and women’s issues, as well as environmental issues and advocacy. Mrs. Jibrell has also served as a consultant on women’s issues, produced an NGO training manual for UNICEF Somalia, surveyed in the Warsangeli Sultanate on behalf of Africa Housing Fund, and spoken at national and international conferences. Mrs. Jibrell received her Bachelors degree from the University of the District of Columbia and her Masters on Social Work from the University of Connecticut. She speaks fluent Somali, English, and Arabic.