Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL)

Our FSL programs aim to enhance food security, improve agricultural practices, and promote sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable communities. We support households through training, resource distribution, and cash-for-work initiatives.

The program seeks to improve household financial well-being, food diversification, and social protection. The strategic intervention areas will revolve around access to social safety nets, increased production, and easier market access. The programme aims is to improve a vulnerable community’s access to sustainable sources of food and income. Food security and livelihood (FSL) is a key area of focus for CoDHNet as it aims to improve the livelihood situation of the vulnerable communities.

In livelihoods, CoDHNet empowers people to overcome poverty by helping them to increase the production capacity of the farmers have access to food supply, improve access to water, generate more income to spend on the basic needs and most of all reduce vulnerability to droughts and conflicts. CoDHNet organization uses multiple approaches like economic empowerment, cash for work, skills development as well as value chain support for agricultural and livestock sub-sectors that secure sustainable livelihoods. CoDHNet targets the most vulnerable community members especially women, girls, PWDs, IDPs, returnees, minority groups among others. We work with the communities, respective government ministries to design and implement sustainable solutions that improve the resilience of the communities.

Livelihoods refer to the means through which people secure the resources necessary to meet their needs and improve their quality of life.
Key Elements:

Income Generation: Supporting diversified sources of income, such as small businesses, agriculture, and vocational trades.
Asset Building: Strengthening productive resources like land, livestock, tools, and savings.
Skills Development: Training communities in vocational skills, entrepreneurship, and sustainable practices.
Social Protection: Providing safety nets, such as cash transfers, subsidies, and food aid, for vulnerable populations.

To improve livelihoods, income and food security, In Somalia, CoDHNet implements a wide range of food security and livelihood support projects such as conditional Food For Training, cash for work to prevent loss of assets, Unconditional emergency food voucher, capacity development in agricultural sector through good agricultural practices, providing agricultural inputs like seeds and farm tools and improving the livestock sector value chain as strategies to promote, protect and strengthen vulnerable communities’ abilities to recover and bounce back from shocks and stresses as well as become resilient. the CoDHNet supports capital assets and economic recovery initiatives like business skills training, provision of business grants and start-up kits, and literacy training support to women and girls owned VSLAs groups. CoDHNet has been reached more people over the year in helping the communities to build their own capacity to respond to crises.

CoDHNet intervene in rural areas where agriculture is a key economic sector. The operation area of CoDHNet programmes are includes Jubbaland State, South West State and Banadir region. In our livelihood programmes CoDHNet targets the most vulnerable people in the community and focuses more on the women headed households as they are most vulnerable.

Agricultural Support

As CoDHNet, Our activities include distributing seeds, fertilizers, farm tools and livestock and usually accompany the inputs with trainings on modern farming techniques. This has enabled the communities to become more self-sufficient through productive farming and livestock rearing. CoDHNet carries out trainings on proper storage techniques and has provided the communities with modern storage facilities such as silos. CoDHNet has been over the years working closely with the farmers in South and Central of Somalia.

Vocational Skills Training (VST)

CoDHNet enhances community self-sufficiency by providing vocational training and start-up toolkits. Training covers various trades, including carpentry, plumbing, beauty salon services, tie and dye, basic electricity installation, mobile repair, poultry farming, and Multi-Storey/Kitchen Gardening. CoDHNet collaborates with farmer organizations in Jubbaland, Banadir, and South West to strengthen skills in modern farming techniques, creating employment opportunities and improving livelihoods.

Job Creation & Income Generation.
CoDHNet implements both short- and long-term income-generating initiatives. Vocational training equips individuals with marketable skills, while infrastructure projects—such as canal and road rehabilitation—provide employment through labor contributions from community members. These efforts are community-driven, with local committees overseeing job placements and infrastructure maintenance, ensuring sustainability.

Emergency Livelihood Support.
In crisis situations, CoDHNet prioritizes life-saving interventions, ensuring access to food, water, and essential supplies. Emergency programs include unconditional relief assistance for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, sick, and lactating mothers. Additionally, CoDHNet conducts water trucking and food distribution to support communities facing humanitarian crises.