¥ FAKT Brosch. Somalia Gesamt - Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe

Planting Hope 

to Harvest Self-Reliance 

11 Years of Relief 

and Rehabilitation Work 

in Somalia

Contents 

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7 

9 

11 

13 

15 

17 

From Diakonie Caritas Germany to Daryeel Bulsho Guud 

Mission, objectives and strategies of DBG • Interview with 

Abukar Sheik Ali and Jürgen Prieske • 

ciliation 

Mediation and Recon- 

Humanitarian Aid 

Reliable support in emergency situations • Project example: 

Martini Hospital, Mogadishu 

Rehabilitation of Infrastructure 

Bringing back the city lights to Mogadishu • Project example: 

Ben Ali and Benadir Electricity companies, Mogadishu 

Food Security and Agricultural Activities 

Stimulating food production in a war-torn environment • 

Project example: Sabeed community, Shabelle valley 

Support for Educational and Vocational Institutions 

School kids know better than joining warlords • Project example: 

Umul-kura School, Mogadishu • 

School, Mogadishu 

Project example: SAACID 

Income Generating Projects 

How to make a living in an unstable society • Project example: 

Fishery training, Mogadishu 

Project List 

Imprint 

Chronology of important events in Somalia and the work of DCG / DBG

These were the words of a Somali colleague we 

met when Dr. Hans-Otto Hahn, former Vice-President 

of Diakonisches Werk and myself visited 

war-torn and disrupted Somalia in May 1992; 

my first visit to Somalia after the civil war. On 

seeing the physical destruction and, even worse, 

perceiving the mental destruction – my heart 

sank... I knew of another Somalia, a place I had 

worked in from September 1980 till March 1982, 

I knew another Mogadishu, a pleasant little 

town along the shores of the Indian Ocean – 

and what was there now? Misery, hunger, guns 

and... despair. 

For Hans-Otto Hahn and me it was clear that 

there was more needed than just simple relief: 

“Help towards self-help – as Emergency Relief”, 

a form of assistance aiming at more self-sufficiency 

/ self-reliance, the restoration of livelihoods, 

perspectives and hope for the future. We 

contacted German Caritas and asked them whether 

they would consider joining us. We both 

agreed to pool our funds – derived from donations 

from the German public and entrusted 

to us to help alleviate human suffering and the 

major threats to peoples’ very existence – and 

founded Diakonie Caritas Germany (DCG, later 

renamed DBG). 

From the very start, our work has been based 

entirely on humanitarian principles, namely 

that: 

Assistance and protection are granted regardless 

of race, religion, citizenship, political 

affiliation or other potentially distinguishing 

attributes. 

The provision of humanitarian assistance 

must not be contingent on political and religious 

attitudes, nor should it be used to promote 

such ways of thinking. The only criterion 

in setting the priorities for assistance is 

the needs of the people. 

“We still have many 

bridges to cross – 

don’t leave us alone” 

Assistance and its implementation would 

respect human dignity as well as respect the 

existing laws, culture and tradition in the 

area of need. 

Not everything always went smoothly or the 

way we would have wanted it to, mainly due 

to the sporadically changing situation, the 

instability, the insecurity... However, despite 

all the ups and downs throughout all these 

years, we have been able to maintain the ethical 

quality of our work by strictly following 

the humanitarian principles of impartiality 

and independence – and this was only possible 

thanks to a very dedicated staff to whom we 

have to pay our great respect, and through the 

helping hands and wisdom of business partners 

and longstanding friendships. Also, the 

active cooperation with our sister organisation 

“Bread for the World” not only helped to 

further programmes towards more self-reliance 

but demonstrates a smooth transition from 

relief and rehabilitation to development. 

No matter how great the calamities are, the 

achievements of DCG and DBG, whose work is 

documented in this brochure, provide a good 

example of how, when partners join hands 

and cooperate, progress and development can 

be brought a good step forward. 

We hope and trust that the same friendship 

and assistance that we have experienced over 

the past decade will be extended also to 

Daryeel Bulsho Guud: There are, indeed, still 

many bridges to cross... 

Hannelore Hensle 

Director Diakonie Emergency Aid 

April 2004 

1

From Diakonie Caritas Germany 

to Daryeel Bulsho Guud 

After 12 years of 

civil war, the street 

scenery of Mogadishu 

is characterised by 

destroyed buildings 

and armed gunmen. 

Year 

Important events in Somalia 

Work of DCG /DBG 

More than a decade 

of emergency relief, 

rehabilitation and 

development work 

Towards the end of 1991, Diakonie Emergency 

Aid, Germany, started to resume its support for 

war-torn Somalia. In spring 1992, the ecumenical 

community – Caritas Internationalis, Lutheran 

World Federation (LWF), Catholic Relief 

Services, World Council of Churches and affiliated 

member organisations – started to airlift 

desperately needed relief items into Somalia, 

mainly UNIMIX, supplementary food and medical 

supplies. During a visit to Somalia in May 

1992, Dr. Hans-Otto Hahn (former director 

of Diakonie) and Hannelore Hensle (head of 

Diakonie Emergency Aid) concluded that the 

humanitarian assistance should be increased, 

and that additional “help towards self-help” 

was needed. For this approach which was 

aimed at restoring livelihoods, they decided to 

set up a local implementing structure and 

consequently won Caritas Germany’s support 

to pool their funds for that purpose. With Diakonie 

Germany acting as lead-agency, the first 

Diakonie Caritas Germany (DCG) office was 

set up in the Southern part of the divided city 

of Mogadishu in August 1992. After the killing 

of an Italian doctor, Caritas pulled out as coowner, 

but remained as funding agency for the 

renamed DBG (Diakonie Bread for the World 

Germany). 

DCG/ DBG was one of the very few international 

agencies who remained in Somalia throughout 

all its ups and downs and continuous struggle 

after the cruel civil war. As soon as the political 

situation allowed for it, DCG/ DBG began to support 

the rehabilitation of the infrastructure 

and to promote development work, especially 

in the fields of food production, education and 

income generation. Due to its good reputation 

and contacts among all the factions in the 

civil war, DCG/ DBG who succeeded in maintaining 

a strictly neutral position was frequently 

asked to mediate in critical situations, such 

as the kidnappings of expatriate staff. When 

expatriate director Dietrich Frenkel died in 

1998, former office-head and co-ordinator 

Jürgen Prieske took over and was subsequently 

entrusted with the additional responsibility of 

co-ordinating relief operations in South Sudan. 

He thus moved his office to Nairobi, spending 

1960, 1969 1972 1978-80 

The former Italian and British 

colonies in Somalia and Somaliland 

unite and become independent. 

Siyad Barreh overthrows the civilian 

government. 

A script for the Somali language 

is established adopting the Latin 

alphabet. 

The Somali army is defeated in the 

Ogaden war with Ethiopia. 

As a result of the Ogaden war, 

Somalia is flooded with close to 

one million refugees.

one week per month in Somalia. In 2001, the 

process of transforming DBG from a branch 

office of German funding agencies to a truly 

Somali organisation started. Starting in 2004, 

Abukar Sheik Ali who has been a member of 

the DBG team since 1996, will be the executive 

director, with Jürgen Prieske providing assistance 

in his position of a consultant. 

Interview with Abukar Sheik Ali 

and Jürgen Prieske 

Looking back over the past years, what do you 

perceive as the main achievements of DBG for 

the Somali people? 

ABUKAR SHEIK ALI During the civil war, the 

drought at the beginning, and the flood at the 

end of the 1990s, at a time and place with no 

laws and government and in the middle of 

man-made and natural disasters, DBG managed 

to save the lives of several thousand persons by 

providing food, basic medicines, shelter and 

evacuations. After the end of the military confrontations 

but still without government, DBG 

shifted its policy from pure relief to more rehabilitation 

focused approaches, such as the 

rehabilitation of schools, water wells, the electric 

power supply and public lightning. With its 

activities under nearly impossible working conditions, 

DBG gained the respect of the communities 

in Somalia. 

1989, 1991 1992 

The civil war begins in Somaliland 

and later on engulfs the whole of 

Somalia. 

The government of Siyad Barreh 

is overthrown. 

The civil war is raging all over 

Somalia and invalidating law and 

order. 

A severe drought causes widespread 

famine. 

Mission, Objectives and Strategies of DBG 

DBG sees its mission in responding to emergency and development 

needs in Somalia, contributing to the re-establishment of law, order, 

and respect for human rights, as well as in supporting communities 

to develop towards a state of self reliance. DBG assists communities 

and individuals in critical situations with humanitarian aid. Communities 

are also mobilised and supported to meet their basic needs for 

increased self-sufficiency. In order to respond adequately, DBG is 

prepared for emergency and development situations with the appropriate 

personnel, material resources and links to relevant donor 

agencies for support. 

DBG employs participatory approaches in partnership building, and it 

supports and strengthens community initiatives. Development programmes 

are implemented in a participative way, predominantly in 

the following sectors: 

‘Food Security and Agricultural Activities’ in support of farming, 

food production and increased environmental protection, 

‘Rehabilitation of Infrastructure’ for improved access (roads and 

bridges), hygiene (wells) and security (street lighting – ‘peace 

lights’), 

‘Income Generating Projects’ to create jobs, support livelihoods 

and contribute to disarmament and peace, 

‘Support for Educational and Vocational Institutions’ through the 

rehabilitation of buildings and their institutional infrastructure. 

In the context of weak and often ineffectual public administration 

due to the emergency situation, the private sector is playing an 

instrumental role in providing social services and in shaping development. 

DBG’s support is considered important in this process. To 

track progress and assess results, DBG has drawn up a strategic 

plan which allows for annual operational plans, reviews and impact 

assessment. 

An employee of a Belgian aid agency 

is killed. 

The situation in Somalia features 

almost daily in international media. 

2 

3 

UNOSOM 1 (500 soldiers under UN 

mandate) and UNITAF (US soldiers 

without UN mandate) come to Somalia. 

Diakonie and Caritas open their joint 

office in Mogadishu and begin to distribute 

food, repair schools, provide

As part of the LWF 

run airlift between 

May 1992 and March 

1993, a total 17.726 

tons of relief items 

were transported 

on a daily basis to 

various destinations 

in Somalia and 

Somaliland. 

Year 



JÜRGEN PRIESKE During the time of its existence, 

DBG developed a policy of neutrality 

towards the faction leaders in the still ongoing 

‘cold’ civil war. No faction was preferred, no 

faction rejected. In the DBG staff all Somali 

clans are represented. Additionally, DBG is neither 

100% Somali nor 100% German. We belong 

to both sides. This makes us respected in 

Somalia and opens up many doors. DBG started 

quite early to introduce aspects of development 

into the relief activities in order to improve sustainability 

and to reduce dependency on emergency 

aid provisions. 

In 2004, DBG will become a Somali organisation. 

The letters ‘DBG’ will no longer mean ‘Diakonie – 

Bread for the World – Germany’, but ‘Daryeel 

Bulsho Guud’. What does the new name mean in 

English, and what does the change to a truly 

Somali organisation mean for the future of DBG? 

ABUKAR SHEIK ALI To begin with the literal 

meaning, ‘Daryeel Bulsho Guud’ means ‘community 

care for all’. It was chosen because it 

expresses well the mission and vision of DBG 

that all and everybody have to be included in 

the joint task, and because the abbreviation fits 

the label ‘DBG’ which is well-known in Somalia. 

JÜRGEN PRIESKE The organisational change 

gives DBG the chance to exist for another decade 

and longer because its new ownership is 

more independent of the agencies. Having a 

schooling materials, and rehabilitate 

hospitals including repairing the 

water supply systems, and providing 

medical supplies. 

more ‘local’ touch for the Somali surroundings, 

mainly for the warlords, DBG will be able to 

work more freely than international organisations, 

which, among others, brings advantages 

regarding reduced efforts for security. Changes 

Mediation and Reconciliation 

DBG has neither a project called ‘Mediation and 

Reconciliation’ nor a fund accounting or reporting 

system for these activities. DBG did not look 

to focus on these areas , in fact, just the opposite 

happened, they were selected by others to do so. 

Due to their reputation as an organisation as well 

as to the personal integrity of the staff who act 

neutrally and respectably, neither preferring nor 

rejecting a faction or clan, DBG has frequently 

been asked to mediate in conflict situations. 

When Somali opponents ask for mediation, DBG 

provides its large roof terrace and facilitators for 

long night sessions in which disputes are settled 

and compensations agreed upon. In 1998, when 

members of a Red Cross Delegation were kidnapped, 

or in 2000 when the same happened to 

staff of the French agency ‘Action contre le Faim’, 

DBG was asked for help. First, they managed to 

send food and drinks to the hostages, and following 

long negotiations with the kidnappers, DBG 

succeeded in convincing them to release their 

hostages. Somalia is living in a long-term crisis, 

and we feel that relief is only one part of the 

answer. 

DCG also supports activities of NGOs, 

such as the Mother-and-Child Clinic 

of SOS children’s village which temporarily 

functioned as an emergency 

hospital, Save the Children, UK, and 

others. 

A branch office in Jalalaksi (Hiran 

region, Central Somalia) is opened. 

DCG employs 20 Somalis (including 

security guards) and up to 10 expatriates.

also may bring new risks. The change in the 

ownership of DBG might be seen as pulling out 

of the international agencies, but I am sure 

that their funding policy and their representatives 

on the board will prove their will towards 

continuity. 

DBG started its work in Somalia with humanitarian 

aid. Is there still a need for emergency 

relief and which options do you see regarding 

rehabilitation and, more especially, development 

work? 

ABUKAR SHEIK ALI Somalia is still a stateless 

nation governed by different warring factions. 

The country has no basic social and economic 

infrastructure. The living conditions of its people 

are extremely poor. Though much has 

changed since, the conditions that led to the 

humanitarian disasters of the early 1990s still 

exist. Therefore, in my opinion there is still 

need for emergency relief for internally displaced 

persons who fled from regions with 

armed conflicts and inundation. They live in 

miserable conditions in the ruins of former 

public administration buildings in Mogadishu 

with very few chances of making their own living. 

Disabled persons such as the community of 

invalids who were wounded in the war with 

Ethiopia in 1977/78 and who are living now in 

the compound of the former Martini Hospital, 

will continue to depend on external supply for 

subsistence and health care. But in many other 

1993 

The conflict between UNOSOM and 

the Somali National Army of General 

Aidid begins. UNOSOM 2 starts with 

a UN mandate and 50,000 soldiers. 

23 Pakistani UNOSOM 2 members 

are killed by General Aidid’s militia. 

Relief operations are disrupted. 

DCG continues to implement their 

concept "help towards self-help 

as emergency relief”: Income 

generating projects, rehabilitation 

Rehabilitation 

and development 

are the 

alternatives 

cases, emergency relief cannot last forever without 

leading to dependence. Rehabilitation and 

development are the alternatives which DBG 

started to promote quite some time ago in several 

projects. 

JÜRGEN PRIESKE For many donor agencies, 

Somalia is a country of war and destruction 

and their only answer is relief. For us, Somalia 

is living in a long-term crisis, and we feel that 

relief is only one part of the answer. Rehabilitation 

and development are essential for the 

creation of a new culture of peace and for the 

preparation of people to cope with peace when 

it comes. Human resources must be trained for 

this purpose. DBG can act in both fields, with 

the German partners supporting us. In cooperation 

with Diakonie Emergency Aid (DEA) we 

can respond if emergency relief is requested, 

and as soon as the crisis is overcome, together 

with Bread for the World we will start development 

activities. 

of schools, re-installation of 

hospitals, agricultural inputs, 

vocational training and other 

activities aiming at more sustainability. 

Support is given to the (former GTZ) 

Vocational Training Institute and 

the "Gun-Men Project” of the Elman 

Electronic Company, i.e. fabrication 

of tools and re-installation of electricity. 

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5

Year 



On which sectors and regions will DBG focus 

its work in the future, what kinds of activities 

will be supported and who will be the 

beneficiaries? 

ABUKAR SHEIK ALI The DBG Somalia programme 

focus will be on poverty reduction, 

community orientation, gender equity, sensitivity 

to human rights and environmental protection. 

In our development work we will continue 

to support the current sectors, while at the 

same time adopting more integral approaches 

in our projects. We will keep working in the 

regions ‘Lower Shabelle’, ‘Middle Shabelle’ and 

‘Benadir / Mogadishu’, with possible expansions 

depending on our capacities and resources. 

As before, we will focus our activities on marginalised 

urban and rural groups of the society 

such as poor and landless farmers, female 

headed households, and children. 

JÜRGEN PRIESKE In addition to the capacity 

for responding to emergency cases, in the midand-long 

term, it could be interesting to focus 

the work on sectors in which development has 

the best chances and DBG is most competent. 

For me, this would be food security and agriculture 

as well as income generation because 

they increase sustainability and the independence 

of the beneficiaries. 

The interview was conducted by FAKT consultants 

Berthold Schrimpf and Thomas Rebohle in September 

2003, Mogadishu. 

Due to its good reputation 

among all the factions 

in the civil war, DCG/DBG 

was frequently asked to 

mediate in critical situations 

1994 

The international search for General 

Aidid ceases, peace talks in Nairobi 

continue without results. Somalia 

still has no government. 

Community elders in Mogadishu and 

in other places initiate the creation 

of Sharia Courts in order to provide 

a minimum of legality. The militias 

accept the Sharia Courts. 

DCG continues its support for educational 

projects. Water infrastructure 

rehabilitation is a new field of work. 

In the courtyards of 

deserted public buildings 

in Mogadishu, 

internally displaced 

people have erected 

their Tukuls. DBG 

has provided them 

with basic equipment, 

and offered training 

in various skills for 

income generation. 

The expatriate staff is reduced to 4-5 

persons, with an unchanging number 

of Somali employees. 

During riots, the Jalalaksi office is 

looted and has to be closed due to 

the deteriorated security situation.

Humanitarian Aid 

Reliable support in emergency situations 

DCG was founded in 1992 as an answer to the 

emergency situation of the Somali people after 

the onset of the civil war. At present, the occurrence 

of armed conflicts has decreased, but 

Somalia still has no government and no public 

welfare system to support persons in distress 

or in disasters such as floods or droughts. DBG 

assists those in urgent need with food and 

donations of medicine, or through reinforcing 

river embankments which are swollen during 

floods. 

Project Example: 

Martini Hospital, Mogadishu 

Once a famous place for medical treatment 

located in the centre of Mogadishu, the Martini 

Hospital was destroyed during the civil war and 

consequently abandoned, with the exception 

of a group of about 150 invalids from the 1977 

Ogaden war between Somalia and Ethiopia. 

As they had no other place to go, the former 

soldiers were forced to stay together with their 

families in the ruins of the hospital. Left without 

medical care and basic requirements like 

potable water and food to sustain themselves, 

1995 

Intensified fighting between international 

forces and Somali factions 

cause lots of killings, among them 

many civilians. The international 

forces pull out of Somalia after the 

Pakistani base is ambushed and an 

American helicopter shot down. 

Airport and seaport of Mogadishu 

are closed and have remained so 

up to the present day. 

The warlords re-initiate their armed 

confrontations. 

the group declined in numbers as people were 

dying off. Between 1991 and 1995 they received 

support from international aid agencies such 

as the International Committee of the Red 

Cross (ICRC) and through UNOSOM. After UNO- 

SOM and almost all aid agencies had left the 

country in 1995, they still got erratic food aid 

from Saudi Arabia enabling them to survive 

until 1998. When these supplies also failed to 

arrive and the general food situation further 

worsened in Mogadishu as a consequence of a 

drought in Somalia caused by the El Niño climatic 

phenomenon, a representative of the 

invalids approached DBG and asked them why 

they distributed their relief goods as far as the 

Shabelle river while people were starving right 

on their doorstep. DBG faced this challenge 

and from 1998 onwards supplied the invalids 

with basic requirements, such as monthly food 

rations, medical support, beds and mattresses, 

blankets, mosquito nets, wheel chairs, and 

crutches, with financial assistance from donors 

such as Dan Church Aid, Diakonie Emergency 

Aid, and Bread for the World. “It was indeed 

a historic day and revival of hope both as the 

delivery of materials for the disabled persons 

were handed over directly to the needy people”, 

Due to the worsened security situation, 

aid agencies pull out or reduce their 

staff. The UN passes a resolution imposing 

an arms embargo on Somalia. 

An Italian medical doctor (Caritas 

Italiana) is killed in Merka. 

DCG stays in Mogadishu and continues 

relief and rehabilitation. 

As a consequence of the killing 

of the Italian doctor, Caritas pulls 

out as co-owner of the office but 

remains a funding agency. 

6 

7

Year 



writes Ahmed Sheik Mohamud (Amore), the 

Minister of Health of the transitional government 

in a thank-you letter of February 2001. 

DGB also rehabilitated the well, thus providing 

the invalid community with access to potable 

water. By 2003, the focus of cooperation 

between DBG and the disabled community of 

Martini Hospital had shifted from mere relief 

to development support. One project is the cofinancing 

of a school for the invalids’ children, 

another one deals with income generation 

from the production of mosquito nets to be 

sold in Mogadishu. Ali Hassan Abukhar (see 

photo), a member of the invalid community 

recounts the change of priorities: “DBG assisted 

us when some of us were dying of starvation. 

They did not only provide us with food, but 

also with other things we needed to survive, 

such as medicaments. Since DBG intervened, 

nobody has died and we very much want to 

continue our cooperation with them as we are 

looking forward today to even be in a position 

to open a school for our children. We can provide 

teachers but need the basic facilities for 

it. And lastly we have become eager to sustain 

ourselves through our own efforts. That is why 

we asked DBG to look into possibilities and 

explore means of income generating activities 

together with us”. 

It was a revival of hope 

as the materials for 

the disabled persons 

were handed over directly 

to the needy people 

1996 

Mogadishu is divided by ‘green-lines’ 

along clan, religious and political areas 

of influence into North and South. 

The so called ‘Bermuda triangle’ 

emerges in the middle of Mogadishu, 

an area which is inhabited by outlaws 

and gunmen who do not belong to any 

faction and form a constant threat 

to the entire population of the city. 

General Aidid is killed during severe 

fighting with his rival Osman Ato in 

Mogadishu South. 

Diakonie Caritas Germany – DCG 

becomes Diakonie Bread for the 

World Germany – DBG. 

150 invalids from the 

Ogaden war and their 

families inhabit the 

compound of the former 

Martini Hospital. 

DBG has helped them 

by rehabilitating basic 

infrastructure, and 

with monthly food 

rations. 

Whenever the situation allows for it, 

DBG shifts its focus towards more 

long-term development activities.

Rehabilitation of 

Infrastructure 

Bringing back the city lights 

to Mogadishu 

Having been without a government for more 

than a decade now, there is no responsible body 

in charge of rehabilitating and maintaining 

public infrastructure systems in Somalia. DBG 

supports communities in the rehabilitation of 

access roads and bridges, as well as in the 

improvement of their wells. In Mogadishu, 

where armed gunmen are part of public life, 

street lighting increases public security and 

contributes to the restoration of urban culture. 

Since the civil war started in 1990, there has 

been no public supply of electricity in Somalia. 

Small entrepreneurs have jumped in to fill this 

gap by operating diesel generators which supply 

the immediate neighbourhood with electricity. 

Approximately one third of all households 

in Mogadishu is provided with electricity 

from these private sources while the majority 

still does not have access to electricity at all. 

Attempts at linking these isolated operations to 

increase efficiency have not yet succeeded. 

Since there is no remuneration from any public 

source, the private providers of electricity do 

The office in South Mogadishu is 

evacuated. A new office in North 

Mogadishu is set up. 

4 office staff, 6 security guards and 

2 expatriates work in DBG. 

1997 

Torrential rains caused by ‘El Niño’ 

affect many parts of Somalia with 

floods. A huge number of persons 

become displaced. Cholera and other 

water-born diseases spread. 

not show any interest in illuminating streets or 

public buildings. For a long time, the streets of 

Mogadishu have thus been pitch dark at nights, 

much to the benefit of robbers, burglars and 

other criminals. 

Project example: 

Ben Ali and Benadir Electricity 

companies, Mogadishu 

Ben Ali provides 700 families of about 4,000 

members with electricity from a 75 kVA generator, 

Benadir does the same for 8,000 families 

or approximately 5,600 persons. Their clients 

use the electricity in homes, small shops, and 

workshops. Since the operation of meters is too 

expensive, the users have to pay monthly lump 

sums of 3 US$ for each lamp and 4,50 US$ for 

a power outlet which are regularly counted 

by the cashiers of the providers who in return 

bear the cost of maintenance and repair. 

In 2001, DBG financed material and labour 

costs for the installation of street lighting in 

the areas which are served by Ben Ali and 

Benadir Electricity companies. The companies 

A conference on peace and reconciliation 

in Somalia is held in Ethiopia 

and ends without results. Factions 

opposed to the conference in Ethiopia 

initiate another conference in Cairo. 

A glamorous meeting 

place at the Lido of 

Mogadishu once, the 

ruins of the former 

Hotel Al Uruba now 

serve as a symbol 

of destruction in the 

cruel civil war. 

DBG provides emergency assistance 

to the flood victims, using boats 

which later on will be given to the 

Mogadishu fishermen community. 

DBG rehabilitates 29 water and 

irrigation projects in Balad District, 

8 

9

Year 



in return have agreed to supply streets, schools 

and mosques with free electricity. As a consequence 

of street lighting, people have started to 

resume their urban life in the public domain. 

Shop owners have reported an increase in walkin 

customers which contributes to a – however 

modest – revitalisation of business life. This is 

also due to an improved security situation for 

both residents and passers-by. Even though 

there are no criminal statistics kept to provide 

hard data for Mogadishu, residents of the newly 

illuminated quarters have plausibly reported a 

distinct decline in robberies and assaults. The 

successful example of Ben Ali and Benadir 

Electricity companies served as a pilot project 

In Mogadishu, 

where armed gunmen 

are part of public life, 

street lighting increases 

public security and 

contributes to the 

restoration of urban 

culture 

in combination with the distribution 

of seeds and tools to farmers. 

Flood prevention projects in Lower 

and Middle Shabelle are implemented. 

The Mogadishu water project starts. 

for the rehabilitation of street lighting and has, 

in the meantime, been imitated in many other 

quarters of Mogadishu, even without any external 

support. 

1998 

The Cairo conference ends with no 

results. 

Local authorities try to establish a 

public administration for Mogadishu 

and its surroundings (Benadir region) 

but without success. ‘Green lines’ 

Rehabilitated canals 

provide water for 

agriculture and 

domestic use. 

dissolve into spheres of influence of 

a rising number of war lords in 

changing coalitions. 

The members of a delegation of the 

Red Cross are kidnapped and set free 

after a month.

Food Security and Agricultural 

Activities 

Stimulating food production 

in a war-torn environment 

More than 70% of the Somali population live 

from agriculture. After more than a decade of 

civil war during which big parts of the agricultural 

infrastructure such as irrigation systems 

were destroyed, most families in Somalia are 

not in a position to secure their food supply 

entirely by their own means. A succession of 

recurrent floods and droughts have further 

aggravated the situation. Therefore, DCG/ DBG 

has been supplying food relief to the most 

needy people in several regions of the country 

since 1992. Wherever possible, however, DBG 

strives to lay the foundations for future food 

security by enabling farmers to cultivate their 

own food again. Since 1997, they have thus 

provided farmers with agricultural inputs such 

as seeds, tools and pesticides, and they have 

promoted the rehabilitation of irrigation systems 

by supplying the necessary equipment 

and through food for work programmes. 

With the aim of improving links in its relief 

interventions, rehabilitation and development, 

DBG has made a concerted effort since 2003 to 

DBG expatriate director, Dietrich 

Frenkel, dies after a short but severe 

illness. DBG office head and coordinator, 

Jürgen Prieske, takes over. 

DBG provides food for, and mediates 

the release of Red Cross hostages. 

DBG starts a flood recovery programme 

by distributing food, seeds 

and tools to small farmers in the 

Middle and Lower Shabelle regions. 

School rehabilitation projects are 

implemented in the Adale district of 

increase household food security in three rural 

areas of the Shabelle valley known as the former 

granary of Somalia. 90% of Somalia’s 

small-scale farmers live in the Shabelle valley, 

and lack access to both agricultural inputs and 

state-of-the art professional knowledge. Environmental 

degradation is another problem in this 

region caused by the continuous felling of trees 

for firewood with no reforestation. Therefore, 

the provision of agricultural training and the 

establishment of tree nurseries are important 

elements in the innovative project approach 

which was conceived by DBG. 800 families are 

direct beneficiaries of this food security project 

which provides them with seeds, equipment 

and training. Another 3,350 families also use 

the rehabilitated water channels for irrigating 

their fields. In addition, two livestock watering 

posts have been set up to serve 1,200 nomads 

with their camels, cattle, donkeys, sheep and 

goats. This measure helps to prevent conflicts 

between farmers and nomads who in times of 

water scarcity sometimes let their animals 

trample over fields in order to reach a water 

hole. DBG also pays special attention to ensuring 

that the underprivileged (especially the 

landless and female headed households) profit 

from the project activities and attain self-sufficiency 

in food production. Therefore, each ben- 

Middle Shabelle and in the Imam 

Malik School in Mogadishu. 

The distribution of food to the 

disabled community in the Martini 

hospital is started. 

Community participation 

is a central 

element in the 

construction or 

rehabilitation of 

canals. 

10 

11 

With the expansion of DEA’s work 

in Southern Sudan, the DBG director 

is entrusted with the regional coordination. 

He therefore moves his 

office to Nairobi and comes to Mogadishu 

for one week per month.

Year 



eficiary community has to identify and include 

a set number of disadvantaged households in 

the project, and to provide them with agricultural 

land based on contractual agreements. 

Project example: Sabeed 

community, Shabelle valley 

In former times, the village of Sabeed was 

famous for its production of sesame, maize, 

beans and a wide variety of vegetables. More 

than 90 % of its 800 families rely on agriculture 

to sustain themselves. To participate in the DBG 

project, the village committee has selected 250 

families, 60 of which are landless and another 

20 are headed by women. At the beginning, 

DBG assisted the community to rehabilitate a 

6-km-long water canal which served to irrigate 

Agricultural 

training and tree 

nurseries are 

important 

elements in the 

innovative project 

approach 

1999 

A Somali staff member of CARE 

International is killed in the Middle 

Shabelle region. An Italian nun working 

in a SOS village is kidnapped. 

The Gulf countries ban the import of 

livestock from Somalia because of 

more than 1,000 ha of arable land during the 

first growing season of the year. In preparation 

for the second growing season, the community 

has desilted the canal on their own account. 

To start cultivation, each beneficiary received a 

hoe, a shovel, a leveller and an axe, seeds for 

planting (e.g. maize, beans, sesame), and pesticides 

for treating an area of 3 ha. 

To provide theoretical and practical training in 

modern farming techniques (e.g. land preparation, 

pest management, crop rotation practices 

and seed selection), DBG has temporarily 

employed a resident of Sabeed village as a field 

assistant who is a professional agriculturist and 

who offers his expertise to all beneficiaries 

through regular consultations. For practical 

demonstration purposes the community has 

provided a suitable plot of one ha free of charge. 

This plot also serves for testing innovative 

practices and new crop varieties. Special training 

is given to 25 contact farmers who are elected 

out of every 10 neighbouring beneficiaries, 

with the aim to disseminate their newly gained 

knowledge among the group. A tree nursery 

with a total of 3,000 tree seedlings was established 

and handed over to the farmers at the 

beginning of the rainy season. “With the tree 

seedlings from the DBG nurseries, we will have 

better windbreaks and more fodder for our animals 

in future”, states community chairman Ali 

Mayoh. For the future, it is envisaged to assist 

farmers in setting up their own tree nurseries. 

the occurrence of the Rift Valley 

Fever disease. 

DBG implements food security and 

canal rehabilitation projects in six 

districts of the Middle and Lower 

Shabelle region with funds from 

German government and Dan Church 

Aid. Relief distributions in Mogadishu 

are financed by ‘Action of Churches 

Together’ (ACT). 

DBG staff facilitates the liberation of 

the Italian nun without any payment.

Support for Educational and 

Vocational Institutions 

School kids know better than to join warlords 

According to rough estimates, there are currently 

less than 15% of Somali children getting 

the chance to attend a school. On the path to 

a peaceful society, education is a top priority 

in Somalia. School facilities reduce the chances 

of warlords mobilising children to join their 

forces. The more educated a child is, the more 

understanding it will have of the importance 

of peace, is what was explained in the Imam 

Malik School’s project proposal to DBG which 

assisted in the rehabilitation of its buildings, 

water supply and technical equipment. 

In fact, several years before the outbreak of the 

civil war there was already a lack of educational 

facilities, when in the mid 1980s the military 

regime cut the expenditure for education in 

favour of weapons. Before the civil war broke 

out in 1989, there were only 644 primary 

schools in Somalia. Many of them were destroyed 

and plundered during the war and had to 

close down. Local NGOs and the few remaining 

international aid agencies have done their best 

to support those schools which are still functioning 

and to open new ones in cooperation 

with parents’ associations. As a result of these 

manifold initiatives, there were already around 

800 primary schools in 2000 catering for 

about 150,000 pupils (one third of them girls) 

throughout Somalia, again more than 50,000 

of them in Mogadishu. This success depends 

largely on the high involvement of parents in 

the running of the schools. Many parents in 

Somalia are eager to make up for the years 

lost in war when their children were deprived 

of formal education. Already at present, many 

schools are themselves able to cover their 

running costs, and it is only the increasing 

numbers of applications, and the new pupils’ 

need for additional classrooms and teaching 

materials that makes it necessary to ask for 

external assistance. 


Umul-kura School, Mogadishu 

Founded in 1994 by local residents, Umulkura 

School was for quite some time the only 

functioning school in the whole of Mogadishu. 

2000 2001 

The Djibouti Peace Initiative starts 

and the Transitional National Government 

is set up. The Somali people 

nourish high expectations. 

Action Contre le Faim (ACF) aid 

workers are kidnapped by militia. 

DBG facilitates the release of the 

kidnapped ACF Aid workers. 

The food security projects in Middle 

and Lower Shabelle regions are 

continued. 

Several school rehabilitations in 

Mogadishu are supported. 

7 office staff, 4 persons in technical 

support, and 13 security guards are 

employed at DBG. 

12 

13 

Drinking water is 

a basic need. The 

rehabilitation of water 

wells therefore is 

a priority in war-torn 

Somalia. 

In the ‘war against terrorism’ ensuing 

September 11, 2001, the Somali 

Barakat Bank is closed down and all 

its accounts are frozen. This affects 

many Somali families who receive 

support from their relatives abroad.

Year 



About 3,000 boys and girls presently attend 

this school in two shifts, morning and afternoon. 

They are taught in Arabic, with textbooks 

donated from Saudi Arabia, as there are no 

textbooks in the Somali language. School fees 

amounting to 2,50 US$ per month and pupil, 

are collected and used for teachers’ salaries and 

other running costs. Scholarships are offered 

to children from poor families. 

Children in 

school uniform 

are respected 

by the numerous 

gunmen 

For some former 

gunmen who were 

prepared to leave 

their arms behind, 

Elman Electronic 

Company offered 

vocational training 

in various crafts. 

Since the mid 1990s , DCG has assisted in 

reconstructing 33 classrooms which had been 

destroyed by bombings, in rehabilitating the 

water supply and generator, and in buying 

school furniture. “Without DCG, the pupils and 

teachers would still have to sit on the ground 

and in rooms where the roof is leaking or even 

not there at all”, says the principal, Arabow 

Ibrahim Nur. 

Boat people fleeing from Western 

Somalia drown in the Red Sea. 

The expectations in the Transitional 

National Government are not fulfilled. 

Several faction leaders start to 

oppose. Ethiopia facilitates the set 


SAACID School, Mogadishu 

The NGO, SAACID, was founded by five women 

before the onset of the civil war. They run several 

schools, also outside Mogadishu, and a training 

centre for teachers. Women are given preference 

among the applications for teachers 

training because female teachers are a rarity in 

Somalia with its general scarcity of teaching 

personnel. SAACID is also implementing awareness 

programmes regarding the negative effects 

of genital incision. 

The SAACID School in Mogadishu was founded 

in 1996 for 66 pupils whose number since 

then has risen to presently about 420 girls and 

boys who are taught co-educationally with 

English textbooks from Australia. For 10 US$ 

per student and month, the SAACID School 

provides education up to secondary level. In 

the afternoon, courses in the English language 

and secretarial training are offered for adults. 

Since 2001, DBG has assisted in the reconstruction 

of two destroyed storeys of the building, 

and in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, 

thus enabling SAACID to accommodate twice 

the number of pupils than before. “Children 

in school uniform are respected by the numerous 

gunmen”, points out the principal Yusuf 

Mohamed Abdulahi as he emphasises the 

importance of schools for the return to normal 

life in Somalia. 

up of an opposition group and provides 

it with arms. 

The food security projects in Shabelle 

and school rehabilitations in 

Mogadishu and Shabelle are continued. 

Income generation projects in 

Mogadishu with fishermen and metal 

workers are started. 

DBG’s transition process from a 

branch office of German agencies 

to a Somali organisation starts.

Income Generating Projects 

How to make a living in an unstable society 

The majority of Somalis who live in urban 

areas do not have a regular job or income. At 

the same time, whole families depend on those 

few who are able to make some money. Thus, 

income generating projects benefit a much 

greater number of people over and above the 

amount of participants. Especially for young 

men, a stable source of income reduces the 

attraction of joining a warlord’s militia. At DBG 

therefore, the promotion of income generating 

projects for metal workers and fishermen is 

also seen as a contribution to peace-building. 

The fishing community of Mogadishu mainly 

comprises the minority tribes of Bantu and 

Hamari who are traditionally not armed. More 

than any other group in Mogadishu, they suffered 

from expulsion from their homes as well 

as from looting and the total destruction of 

their fishing equipment during the civil war. 

Deprived of homes and an economic base, they 

were not able to give their children any education 

or fishery training. Those who could afford 

to, left the country, while those remaining 

looked for temporary shelter and struggled 

from day to day to provide their families with 

food and drinking water. 


Fishery training, Mogadishu 

With the aim of strengthening the socially 

most endangered population, DGB has, since 

1997, been supporting young fishermen in the 

Abdul-Aziz district of Mogadishu. The project 

was implemented in collaboration with the 

Somali Seaman Union and the Abdul-Aziz 

Maritime Secondary School which jointly 

provide the technical know-how, training and 

follow-up. To date, 100 young fishermen have 

received a six months training in advanced 

fishing skills and have been provided with 

18 locally built boats and the necessary fishing 

gear. Equipped with a bigger boat and fishing 

gear, the Maritime School is now able to generate 

funds which are used for the basic maintenance 

of its compound and to offer primary 

education to currently 150 pupils from the 

fishing community. The purchase of the boats 

helped to stimulate the local ship-building 

industry on a small scale. 

The example of the trainee Mohamed Yusuf 

Mohamoud and his family illustrates the 

achievements of the fishery project: Mohamed’s 

2002 2003 

The Somalia reconciliation conference 

takes place in Eldoret in Kenya. 

After more than 600 uninvited persons 

show up, the conference is 

moved to Nairobi. The expectations 

in the ongoing meetings are very low. 

Italian aid workers are killed in 

Merka, Somalia, and while attending 

the peace conference in Nairobi. 

DBG closes its branch office in South 

Mogadishu. 

Project priorities continue as in the 

year before. 

As a preparation for the independence 

of DBG, a strategic plan for 

2003 to 2005 is drawn up. 

14 

15 

With assistance of 

DBG, the Mogadishu 

fishery community 

is now able to make 

a living from their 

traditional profession 

again. 

The mandate of the Transitional 

National Government ends in August. 

No new mandate has since been 

defined. 

DBG is in the process of defining its 

new structure and constitution.

mother Moka who as a government employee 

used to provide for her family and even relatives 

before the civil war, was hit by a straying 

bullet which rendered her inactive. Between 

1991 and 1998, she lived from hand to mouth 

and begged relatives to feed her four children 

at least one meal a day. According to Moka, the 

training of her eldest son has brought a one 

hundred percent improvement to their family 

life. Since Mohamed has started fishing, they 

can afford two meals a day, and two of his 

younger sisters and brothers attend the Somali 

Seaman’s Union School. “Now that my son is 

in gainful activity that involves him on a full 

time basis, I do not need to worry about his 

security and the menace that he might join 

the militia”, describes Moka with her newly 

found peace of mind. 

As a member of the Somalia Seamen’s Union, 

Moka expects organisations like DBG to provide 

assistance for training more members, particu- 

Since Mohamed 

has started fishing, 

his family 

can afford 

two meals a day 

Year 



Project currency is changed from 

US Dollar to Euro. 

Daryeel Bulsho Guud Somalia Charitable 

Trust is founded 1 December 

2003 to be formally in charge with 

effect from 1 January 2004. 

larly for women in net repairs and related activities. 

An assessment of women’s involvement 

indicates a male dominated sector. However, 

women have an opportunity to buy fresh fish 

and fry it for sale. Until now, women involved 

in this activity do not come from the fishing 

community. Moka and other female union 

members recognise the challenges they face 

which include illiteracy and inadequate funds 

to enable their venturing into business activities. 

The Board of Trustees, consisting of 

5persons (2 Germans, 3 Somalis) is 

responsible for the operations of DBG. 

The cooperation between the parties 

concerned is based on a Memorandum 

of Understanding. This MoU will be 

18 locally built boats 

were given to the 

fishing community, 

together with the 

necessary equipment. 

valid until the situation in Somalia will 

allow the formal registration of DBG 

Somalia Charitable Trust. 

Mr. Abukar Sheikh Ali takes over the 

position of DBG Director from Mr. Jürgen 

Prieske as from 1 January 2004.

Project List 

Selection of projects implemented from 2003 until 1997 

2003 

Sector 

Emergency Aid 

Humanitarian 

Assistance 



Food Security 

Education 

Income 

Generation 

2002 

Sector 

Emergency Aid 

Humanitarian 

Assistance 



Project 

Shabelle flooding 

Emergency aid for 

Mogadishu urban 

poor 

Assistance to disabled 

community in 

Martini Hospital 

Martini Hospital 

rehabilitation & 

sanitation 

Digging 3 water 

wells in Lower 

Shabelle region 

Food Security 

Project 

Supporting 8 primary 

and secondary 

schools in 

Mogadishu, Middle 

and Lower Shabelle 

regions 

HIV/AIDS awareness 

raising 

Electrification of 

Balad and Karan 

districts in 

Mogadishu 

Mosquito Net 

Project 

Project 

Assistance to small 

business holders in 

Bakara Market 

New water wells in 

Addow Ul and Bur 

Kulan villages 

Activities 

DBG provided flood prevention equipment, utensils and 

shelter. 

Provision of building materials, cooking utensils, blankets, 

plastic sheets and mosquito nets to IDPS. 

Since 1998, DBG has provided assistance by distributing 

food rations, and by providing cash for items such as 

charcoal, salt, fuel, and for medical assistance. 

DBG rehabilitated 24 toilets, the main kitchen, offices, 

school classrooms, mosques and training rooms and 

provided educational materials, furniture and diesel. 

The activities comprised of digging and construction of 

3 wells with water reservoirs and water tanks and provision 

of electric equipment. 

Rehabilitation of agricultural infrastructure, excavation 

of water point for livestock, provision of farm inputs, 

agricultural extension and training. 

In the year 2003, DBG supported Basra and Gallibah 

Schools in Middle Shabelle region, Elasha School in 

Lower Shabelle region, and Mujama Kura, Garasbaley, 

Daynile, Al-m’mun and Bermuda schools in Mogadishu. 

The activities carried out include the construction of 22 

classrooms, 10 office rooms, 18 latrines, rehabilitation 

of 5 classrooms, 8 office rooms and provision of classroom 

and office furniture. 

DBG carried out a situation analysis on HIV, arranged 

the holding of workshops, radio talk shows and rallies, 

and magazine publications. 

These 3 electrification projects provided extension of 

electric supply to Balad and Karan districts in Middle 

Shabelle and Mogadishu respectively. The activities of 

the 3 projects comprised of the construction of 3 electric 

generator houses, provision of 1 generator of 75 

KVA, 2 generators of 60 KVA, and other electric equipment 

to three electrification companies. 

The project provided 3 months skills training on preparation 

of mosquito nets and materials for mosquito nets 

for 150 disabled people in Martini Hospital. 

Activities 

Distribution of relief food items to the small business 

holders who lost their property after a fire in the market. 

The project activities comprised of digging and construction 

of 2 wells, and provision of 2 generators and 2 

submersible pumps to the communities of Addow Ul 

and Bur Kulan villages. 

Beneficiaries 

800 flood affected 

people in Jowhar & 

Qoryoley districts 

1,854 IDPS families 

150 disabled individuals 

and their families 

in Mogadishu 



in Mogadishu 

2,540 residents of 

Lower Shabelle 

region 

1,200 inhabitants of 

Middle and Lower 

Shabelle regions 

5,950 students, 

their parents, 

school administration 

and teachers 

Most of the residents 

of Mogadishu 

5,000 families in 

Balad and Karan 

districts 



in Mogadishu 

Beneficiaries 

550 families in 

Mogadishu, affected 

by fire 

6,500 residents of 

Addow Uul and Bur 

Kulan villages in 

Middle Shabelle 

region 

Budget 

in USD* 

31,000 

136,000 

48,000 

31,000 

93,000 

255,000 

118,000 

9,000 

82,000 

44,000 

Budget 

in USD* 

39,000 

51,000 

Donor 

Agencies** 

DEA 

DEA / EKHN 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

DCV / DEA 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

Donor 

Agencies** 

DEA / DCV 

DEA / BftW 

16 

17

2002 

Sector 

Food Security 

Education 

Income 

Generation 

2001 

Sector 

Emergency Aid 

Humanitarian 

Assistance 



Food Security 

Education 

Income 

Generation 

Project 

Crop production 

through extension 

and training methodology 

Food Security 

Project 

Introduction of 

animal traction 

Supporting schools 

in Mogadishu and 


region 

Support for 

Mogadishu fishing 

community 

Project 


Relief Project 

DCA hospital 

equipment 

Basra and Benadir 

Electrification 

Food Security 

Project 

Introduction of 

animal traction 

Supporting 

7 schools in 

Mogadishu and 


region 

Skills training and 

income generation 

for metal workers 

Activities 

Provision of farm inputs from land preparation to harvesting, 

and extension training. 

Rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure, increasing 

farmland for food production by small scale farmers, 

on-farm tree planting, training and networking. 

Provision of 12 ox-ploughs, 24 oxen and 8 cows, training 

the farmers in the use of animal traction techniques. 

In the year 2002, DBG supported the Gallibah and Adale 

Schools in Middle Shabelle region, as well as Mus’ab 

Bin Umair, Mujama Kura, and Abu Hanifa Schools in 

Mogadishu. The activities undertaken include the rehabilitation 

of 11 classrooms, a store room, a teachers’ 

room, 2 library rooms, 6 latrines, and provision of furniture 

comprising desks, benches, cupboards, tables 

and chairs. 

The project which has been supported by DBG since 

1997, aims at generating jobs for 88 families involved in 

the fishing sector by providing them with training, boats 

and engines, fishing gear, and a fish processing hall. 

Activities 

Distribution of relief items (food) to the target beneficiaries. 

DBG distributed hospital equipment provided by DCA to 

the disabled community in Martini Hospital. 

These 2 projects were aimed at extending electric supply 

to Basra and Yaqshid districts by constructing an 

electric generator house, providing a 60 KVA generator 

and electric equipment to 2 communities in Mogadishu 

and Middle Shabelle region. 

Rehabilitation of 6 canals, provision of 2 irrigation 

pumps and distribution of agricultural tools and seeds. 

Provision of 8 ox-ploughs, 16 oxen, and training of the 

farmers in the use of animal traction techniques. 

These educational projects aimed at rehabilitation of 27 

classrooms, 2 store rooms, 2 boarding rooms, 4 toilets, 

water tank, plumping works, well purification and provision 

of electric generator, submersible pump and furniture. 

The project provided a 6 months skills training, and 

metal work materials for 12 jobless ex-metal workers. 

Beneficiaries 

80 women small 

scale farmers in 

Qoryoley district, 


region 

800 inhabitants of 

Afgoi, Basra and 

Qoryoley district 

120 farmers and 

their families in 

Balad and Qoryoley 


their parents, 

school administration 

and teachers 

88 fishermen and 

their families in 

Mogadishu 

Beneficiaries 

500 families affected 

by drought in 


region 



in Mogadishu 

1,400 families 

residing in Basra 

and Yaqshid districts 

5,400 farmer families 

in Middle and 


regions 

480 families in 

Balad and Qoryoley 

5,277 students and 

200 women trainees 

12 metal workers 


Budget 

in USD* 

15,000 

253,000 

23,000 

77,000 

120,000 

Budget 

in USD* 

24,000 

8,000 

67,000 

250,000 

26,000 

146,000 

20,000 

Donor 

Agencies** 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / DCV 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW / 

DCV 

Donor 

Agencies** 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW / 

DCA 

DEA / BftW 

DCV / DEA 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

* Rounded Budget in US Dollar 

** Abbreviations 

AA German Foreign Ministry; ACT Action of Churches Together; BftW Bread for the World; BMZ German Ministry for Economic Cooperation 

and Development; CORSO Association for International Relief, Rehabilitation and Development, New Zealand; DEA Diakonie Emergency Aid; 

DCA Dan Church Aid; DCV German Caritas; Danida Danish International Development Assistance; EKHN Protestant Church of Hessen-Nassau

2000 

Sector 

Emergency Aid 

Humanitarian 

Assistance 



Food Security 

Education 

1999 

Sector 

Emergency Aid 

Humanitarian 

Assistance 

Food Security 

1998 

Sector 

Emergency Aid 

Humanitarian 

Assistance 

Food Security 

Education 

Project 

Cholera outbreak 

in Qoryoley district 


Mahaday Bridge 

BMZ Food Security 

Project 

Crop production 

through extension 

& training methodology 

Improving the educational 

quality of 

Mogadishu University 

and 3 schools 

in Mogadishu 

Project 

Food Aid 

Assistance to IDPs 

DCA / Danida Food 

Security Project 

BMZ Food 

Security Project 

Project 

Food aid for flood 

victims 

Food aid for flood 

victims 

Flood rehabilitation 


Governo Canal 

DBG staff education 

DBG security staff 

training 

Activities 

Assessment and distribution of anti-cholera drugs, sanitation 

equipment to the cholera affected victims, and 

food for voluntary workers at the sites. 

The project activities included the removal of the damaged 

parts, rehabilitation of the bridge using steel bars, 

timber, concrete and gravel. 

Rehabilitation of 6 canals and distribution of seeds and 

agricultural tools. 

Assistance to 100 women farmers from land preparation 

to harvesting. The women farmers also benefited 

from extension training during the project implementation. 

The main components of these educational projects 

included the rehabilitation of 31 classrooms, 23 toilets 

and provision of 13 computers with printers, two photocopy 

machines, and furniture. 

Activities 

Basic food has been distributed to Banadir, Middle and 

Lower Shabelle regions that have been affected by 

severe drought. 

Distribution of relief items to the target IDPs in Mogadishu 

and Shabelle regions, distribution of seeds and 

tools to the IDPs of Middle and Lower Shabelle regions. 

DBG rehabilitated 7 canals (food for work) and distributed 

agricultural tools and seeds to small scale farmers. 

Distribution of free food, rehabilitation of 5 canals and 

access road, and distribution of agricultural tools and 

seeds to the farmers. 

Activities 

Distribution of seeds, agricultural hand tools, and food 

for work in land preparation for farmers. 

Distribution of food (maize, beans), seeds, and agricultural 

tools. 

Distribution of food, seeds and agricultural hand tools. 

DBG rehabilitated Governo canal (40 km). 

DBG offered in-service and external training to its local 

staff in Mogadishu and Nairobi, Kenya. 

DBG offered in-service training to its security staff to 

enhance their duties. 

Beneficiaries 

Residents of 

Qoryoley town and 

its sub-villages 

Mahaday residents, 


region 




100 small scale 

women farmers 

in Qoryoley, Lower 



their parents and 

teachers 

Beneficiaries 

8,333 drought 

affected victims 

3,940 internally 

displaced peoples 

(IDPs) families 







Beneficiaries 


in Middle and 


regions 


five districts of 




in Qoryoley, 

Afgoie and Jannale 

4,800 families in Lower 


DBG Somali local 

staff 

DBG security staff 

Budget 

in USD* 

7,000 

10,000 

594,000 

26,000 

96,000 

Budget 

in USD* 

317,000 

271,000 

140,000 

784,000 

Budget 

in USD* 

316,000 

282,000 

216,000 

184,000 

16,000 

7,000 

Donor 

Agencies** 

DEA / BftW 

DCV 

BMZ 

CORSO 

DCV / DEA / 

BftW 

Donor 

Agencies** 

DEA / DCV / 

AA 

ACT/ BftW / 

DCV 

DCA / Danida 

BMZ 

Donor 

Agencies** 

Danida 

BMZ 

DEA / ACT 

DEA / DCV 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW

1997 

Sector 

Emergency Aid 

Humanitarian 

Assistance 




Food Security 

Education 

Project 

Provision of food 

assistance to flood 

victims 

Flood prevention in 

41 villages 

Light for Peace (2 

electrification projects) 

Construction of 

wells 


20 canals plus 

distribution of 

seeds and tools 

Imam Malik School 

Activities 

Distribution of basic and supplementary food, transport 

of the food items to the sites. 

River embankments (70,000 sandbags), provision of 

plastic sheets, empty sacks and tools to the flood 

affected victims, provision of transport to NGO's, provision 

of transport to the flood affected communities. 

In 1997 and 1998, DBG supplied electrical equipment to 

the Mogadishu community to contribute to the safety 

and security of the area. 

Construction of 9 wells (War-Adyo, Basra, Sasare, 

Adayga, Keysaney, Wairi Sheikh, Shalle, Hart, HoA 

Orphanage). 

DBG rehabilitated 20 canals and distributed seeds and 

agricultural tools. 

Construction of five classrooms, new sewage system, 

fences, and provision of furniture. 

Beneficiaries 


Lower and Middle 


23,000 flood victims 

in 41 villages of 

Balad, Jowhar, and 

Mahadey districts in 

the Middle Shabelle 

region 

Residents of 

Mogadishu 

Residents of Balad 

district, Middle 



Balad district, Middle 


1,850 students, their 

parents and teachers 

in Mogadishu 

Budget 

in USD* 

270,000 

163,000 

151,000 

153,000 

177,000 

1996-1992 

Total Volume: USD 9,8 million, in: Mogadishu, Afgoj, Merca, Qorioley, Jalalaqsi, Belet Uene, Bardera, Dusa Mareb, Muduq, Hargeisa 

1996 

Total Volume: DM 2,000,000 (~ USD 1 million) 

Continuation of relief and rehabilitation programmes/assistance 

towards normalisation 

(it is to be noted that – at times – the security 

situation did not allow for a smooth continuation 

or winding up of programmes; delays and 

interruptions, including evacuation of staff had 

to be faced) 

1994 /1995 

Total volume: DM 4,200,000 (~ USD 2.6 million) 

Continuation of relief and rehabilitation programmes 

Re-installation of the water supply systems 

in hospitals 

Reconstruction of a total of 20 schools or 227 

classrooms, including re-activating schoolboards 

– thereby providing school opportunities 

for more than 18,000 children and youth 

Provision of skills training and job opportunities 

– tailoring, black-smith, pottery, 

bakeries, fabrication of donkey-carts, treenurseries, 

etc. 

In Jalalaqsi, attempts were made to improve 

the socio-economical life: Irrigation projects, 

well drilling, construction of latrines, installing 

a black-smith workshop for the production 

of agricultural tools, restoration of the 

Jalalaqsi market place, reconstruction of the 

school, clean water supply for the mosque 

and surrounding households 

1993 


Relief and assistance to vulnerable groups, 

displaced and handicapped people 

School reconstruction, assistance to the IVTC 

– a former GTZ run technical training institute 

Printing and distribution of a brochure about 

AIDS 

Relief and rehabilitation of hospitals 

60 different “normalisation projects” – mainly 

in the field of education, skills training, 

health and entrepreneurial activities (brickmaking, 

bakery, tayloring etc., including new 

instruments for the Hamar Weine Sea Shore 

Band, gym and body-building equipment for 

a “fitness-centre” – meant for gun-men, to at 

least for some time put away the gun...) 

1992 


Continued support towards the LWF run 

airlift 

Using 2-3 Hercules aircraft on a daily basis, 

a total of 17,726 tons of various relief items 

was up-lifted to various destinations in Somalia 

and Somaliland, in a total of 1,045 flights 

during the period between May, 14th, 1992 

and March 1993: 

104 flights to Mogadishu South (1,793 tons), 

31 flights to Mogadishu North (545 tons), 

164 flights to Mogadishu West (2,649 tons), 

22 flights to Huddor (378 tons), 42 flights to 

Bardera (748 tons), 4 flights to Djibuti (Hargaisa, 

69 tons), 1 flight to Bosaso (6 tons), 

2 flights to Boroma (25 tons), 12 flights to 

Mandera/Kenya (194 tons), 478 flights to 

Baidoa (8,128 tons), 95 flights to Belet Uene 

(1,644 tons), 67 flights to Kisimayo (1,211 

tons), 11 flights to Wajit (184 tons), 4 flights 

to Jala-laqsi (70 tons), 2 flights to Garowe 

(22 tons), 4 flights to Hargeisa (52 tons) 

20,000 

Donor 

Agencies** 

DEA / AA / 

DCV 

DEA / DCV 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

DEA / BftW 

1 flight to Erigawo (3 tons), 1 flight to Borao 

(7 tons) 

Supplementary food and medical supplies 

to various institutions, feeding centers and 

refugee camps 

Seeds and tools for farmers in the South 

Re-installation of the water supply system 

at Medina and Benadir Hospital, renovation 

of Benadir children’s ward 

Support of the “Gun Men” Project, Elman 

Electric Company 

Establishing a Somali mobile medical team 

to work in camps for the displaced 

Emergency repairs of schools and orphanages, 

including schooling material and school 

furniture 

Initiating income generating opportunities 

for women in cooperation with IIDA – mat 

weaving and pottery (products were used in 

camps for displaced people) 

Emergency supplies for drought and war 

affected people in Muduq 

Assistance to relief and rehabilitation programmes 

of ACCORD in Sablaale, and CRS 

in Gedo and Bay region 

For Jalalaqsi region, a small office was 

opened by DCG through which at first relief 

supplies were channelled, including the 

improvement of the dirt track “airport” 

Re-installation of schools for more than 

3,500 school children and youth: La Foole, 

Jab-Jab, 1st of May Primary School, Hawa 

Tako, Moallim Jama, Rageh Ugas 2, Siad- 

Wadajir, 20th December, Abdulaziz, Bondeere

Imprint 

Published by: 

Diakonie Emergency Aid 

Central Office 

P.O. Box 10 11 42 

70010 Stuttgart, Germany 

info@diakonie-emergency-aid.org 

www.diakonie-emergency-aid.org 

Editor: Yvonne Ayoub 

Concept and text: Franziska Krisch 

Contributions: Roswitha Brender, Hannelore 

Hensle, Helmut Hess, Martha Momanyi, Thomas 

Rebohle, Berthold Schrimpf 

Grafics concept and layout: Arne Holzwarth, 

Büro für Gestaltung, Stuttgart 

Photos: Juliane Eirich, Hannelore Hensle, 

Martha Momanyi, Berthold Schrimpf 

Printed by: Druckerei Deile GmbH, Tübingen 

Printed on 100% recycled paper – June 2004

“We still have 

many bridges 

to cross – 

don’t leave us 

alone” 

From the very start, our work has 

been based entirely on humanitarian 

principles, namely that: 

Assistance and protection 

are granted regardless of race, 

religion, citizenship, political 

affiliation or other potentially 

distinguishing attributes. 

The provision of humanitarian 

assistance must not be contingent 

on political and religious 

attitudes, nor should it be used 

to promote such ways of thinking. 

The only criterion in setting 

the priorities for assistance is 

the needs of the people. 

Assistance and its implementation 

would respect human dignity 

as well as respect the existing 

laws, culture and tradition in the 

area of need.

¥ FAKT Brosch. Somalia Gesamt - Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe

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