Between a shock and a hard place by Jennifer Spencer

The devastating drought in the Horn of Africa is, once again, exposing Somalia’s staggering fragility in the face of climate shocks like flooding and drought. Decades of conflict, environmental degradation and weak governance means that most communities are vulnerable. Hazards quickly become disasters that set communities back or result in long-term, irreparable damage.

This interactive, data-based report, however, examines how humanitarian organisations – such as members of the Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRCiS) – can work together through community-led programming to strengthen resilience and achieve transformative change in fragile contexts. Through the combination of smart and targeted humanitarian assistance, and longer-term investments in water infrastructure, economic inclusion, health, and social cohesion, the report demonstrates that resilience-building does work.