Watford, England – Windmills, solar powered water systems and 10,000 cook stoves are among the schemes that will make a difference to people living in poverty in Somalia. The innovative project will benefit the states of Puntland and Somaliland in this country, where re-development has started after a long civil conflict.

With this project ADRA-UK has secured its largest project co-funded with European Commission to date. The ‘Somalia Energy and Livelihood project’ will start in Somalia on November 1 2007 and will last for three years. Valued at €2,000,000 (£1,370,000), 75% of the funding is furnished by the European Commission.

Somalia is classified as a ‘least developed country’. It is one of the poorest countries in the world with per capita income of less than £100 a year. 53% of the population live below the poverty line. The situation has been exacerbated by the effects of war and lack of state authorities. This has led to the total collapse of social services. (more)

One thousand chaka hoes*, 1,000 farmer tool kits and 50 treadle pumps for simple irrigation are just a sample of what ADRA will distribute in the project. Co-funded with the European Commission, the initiative starts on the Friday, 1 February and aims to provide three meals a day for the poor in the Senaga District of Zambia.

Pansi Katenga, ADRA-UK Programmes Officer, is in Zambia this week to help the local ADRA office launch a new poverty alleviation project.

Mrs Katenga reported, “This project will make a significant difference in the lives of many of the poorest people here. Just imagine what it is like to have only enough food for just half of the year. Most people have to survive on one meal of maize a day.”(more)

In addition to new agricultural techniques, basic business management and literacy skills, USAID-sponsored Adventist Relief and Development Agency (ADRA), a faith-based NGO, has been using micro-credit as an effective tool to help promote food security in Middle and Upper Guinea. In Siguiri, for example, ADRA has given out micro-loans to women’s and men’s agricultural co-ops just prior to the planting season to enable them to buy inputs such as improved seeds and tools, which they would not be able to afford otherwise. Regular seeds cost about $1.00/kilo, while improved varieties are much more expensive—$3.00/kilo or more. The use of micro-credit for inputs has promoted the use of improved seeds, allowing for a much higher yields, and, in the end, better food security.(more)