Somalia

Where We Work

Somalia

Context

Somalia is currently ranked 5 on the Global Terrorism Index and 2 out of 178 countries on the Fragile States Index. The toppling of the Islamic Courts Union led to the regrouping of its most extreme faction, commonly known as Al Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate. In addition, the Islamic State in Somalia, an ISIS-affiliated group operates primarily in the mountainous areas of Puntland but has increasingly expanded into the southern part of Somalia. These groups pose an imminent threat both in Somalia and in neighbouring countries where they have carried out numerous attacks on civilians. GCERF’s support deliberately focuses on target areas and populations that have largely been excluded and fall outside mainstream PVE activities. As such, GCERF’s support focuses on Gedo, Lower Juba, and cross-border programming.

Pathways to Change

GCERF activities in Somalia focus on youth and women. GCERF invests in programmes designed to:

Train youth and women on civic rights and responsibilities, improving their knowledge of political processes capacity for advocacy.
Provide in-depth knowledge of legal rights, including human rights frameworks, enabling them to act as local advocates and human rights defenders.
Support trauma healing to youth vulnerable to recruitment and youth who have disengaged from violent extremist groups.
Aid economic integration and reintegration of youth through community programming and awareness-raising broadcasts that reduce the taboo around mental health.
Create a business network of 90 entrepreneurs to work with youth and support them to hire youth trained as part of the project.