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FMR 64 Climate crisis and local communities 27

June 2020 www.fmreview.org/issue64

However, while some progress has been making, for example in IDP camp
made on localisation, the UN and INGOs committees. Kamal Hassan Isak of local
still dominate the humanitarian system. NGO HAVAYOCO explains that encouraging
There are many local and national NGOs such roles requires a careful and culturally
who are responding to the humanitarian appropriate strategy: “We talk to men
needs caused by climate crisis in Somalia/ and women about women in the Quran,
Somaliland, delivering a variety of activities who are leaders, for example the Prophet’s
to tackle the gendered effects of drought. wife who was a business leader – people
Protection activities are widely undertaken cannot refuse our Prophet.” Many local
and several organisations have referral organisations share that changing norms and
systems and counselling for rape and sexual perceptions of what women can and should
violence survivors whereby community do takes time, many discussions and the
members are trained to respond and refer building of strong relationships. Given the
survivors to medical centres and to help limitations of both local and international
those seeking justice for the survivors. NGOs when it comes to fully integrating
Many also carry out protection awareness- gender in their work, it is important to
raising activities, visiting households and make visible the gendered effects of the
speaking about various issues such as climate crisis. When the differences are
domestic and sexual violence and explaining researched, analysed and shared, all actors
what women can do when they face such can more easily adapt their progamming.
issues. A few organisations also deliver
community awareness-raising activities, Localisation – still waiting
such as community dramas – performances The absolute and relative amounts of funding
of various situations with the help of available to local Somali actors (State and
actors. Local organisations understand that non-State) remains very small. In 2017, direct
Somali society has strong oral traditions funding of local/national actors accounted
and that dramas are a good way to raise for 3.5% of overall humanitarian funding
awareness and to generate discussions and for Somalia, with the majority of this going
reflection. Local actors are better placed than to the government. This has done little
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international actors to do this type of work as to change the power dynamics between
they have ongoing relationships with affected international and national actors. All local
communities and have deep understanding and national NGOs we spoke with raised
of the cultural and religious context. the fact that doing long-term work to shift
Local and international NGOs (and, norms is very difficult in a humanitarian
to a certain extent, the government) have system which often sees local actors as
mainstreamed gender across the various sub-contractors and where funding is short-
activities such as WASH (water, sanitation term and project-dependent. “We have
and hygiene), resilience and livelihood a programme [in women’s leadership], it
activities, unconditional cash transfers and runs for a year, we train and engage, then
cash-for-work programmes (serving both men it stops, and then we get new funding and
and women). For example, when selecting we have to start again,” says Nafisa Yusuf
beneficiaries, gender is carefully considered of Nagaad. Omer Jama Farah of local NGO
and female-headed households are taken Taakulo describes the humanitarian funding
into account. According to Nafisa Yusuf of cycle and the slow dispersal of funding by
the Somali women’s rights network Nagaad: saying “Aid comes when the rain comes”.
“In a drought those most affected are women Interviewees are worried about the
and children […] Women are the first to know long-term sustainability of efforts, and find
when the disaster is going to happen. They it difficult to be able to lead in the sector
are the provider of the family. They know.” when their access to decision-making
Local NGOs encourage women’s spaces and their capacity to invest in their
leadership and participation in decision organisations remain limited. Restrictions