END OF PROJECT (FINAL) REPORT. 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. 4

INTRODUCTION.. 5

Background and Context. 5

Project objectives. 6

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND METHODOLOGY. 6

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT ACTIVITY LEVEL. 7

Community Mobilization. 7

Livestock Distribution Phases. 8

Pre-distribution advance field trips. 9

Distribution open ceremonies. 9

Distribution process and method. 10

LESSONS LEARNED AND OBSERVATIONS. 11

CHALLENGES. 12

RECOMMENDATIONS. 12

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The November 2013 cyclone that struck Nugal and Bari regions of Puntland was followed by an aerial assessment conducted by the United Nations which became a basis for the design of a project by FAO – Somalia office to respond to the effects of the cyclone, specifically on livelihoods. The project titled “Distribution of productive animals in Nugal and Bari regions of Puntland” developed by FAO was implemented by four local agencies namely: Kaalo Aid and Development (Kaalo), Puntland Livestock Professional Association (PULPA), Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandry (MoLAH), and Shakir Company.

The project’s outcome was that: 500 households from cyclone affected vulnerable communities in Nugal and Bari regions received 12,500 productive goats, with each household getting Twenty Five (25) productive goats to rebuild their livelihoods.

Project started in June 2014 and was implemented in stages. The first stage involved community mobilization in which Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandry (MoLAH) identified vulnerable cyclone affected beneficiaries and compiled a list which was verified by other relevant implementing agencies. This was followed by three phases of livestock distribution. In the first phase, 4,750 goats were distributed to 190 households in Eyl district. During the second phase, 5,250 goats were given to 210 households in Dangoranyo district whilst the third phase saw 100 households receive 2,500 goats in Bander bayla district.

The livestock distribution exercises were witnessed by officials from different stakeholders including vice president, and ministries including the Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandry (MoLAH) Ministry of Interior, Mayor’s offices, and security agencies. Other officials who witnessed the distribution include officials from project implementing agencies, the community leaders – the traditional elders, religious leaders and the village committees members.

INTRODUCTION

This document serves as the final report for the project entitled “Distribution of productive animals in Nugal and Bari regions of Puntland” Kaalo has been implementing in collaboration with Puntland Livestock Professional Association (PULPA), Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandry, and Shakir Company. The report is based on four project progress reports submitted to FAO in the process of project implementation. Kaalo’s mandate in the project involved the distribution of the already purchased 12, 500 productive goats to 500 households, each entitled to 25 animals. The project was funded by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – Somalia office. The project was aimed at supporting the distribution of productive animals to contribute to the household subsistence and economy as well as the rebuilding of the critical nuclear herd of livestock in the cyclone affected districts of Dangorayo, Eyl and Bendarbayla in Nugal and Bari regions of Puntland. The project began on June 26^th, 2014 upon signing of the Letter of Agreement (LoA, 54/2014) and ended on 15^th October 2014 upon completion of the last phase of the livestock distribution.

This document therefore serves as the final and end of project report and it outlines the process that Kaalo went through in executing its mandate in the project from the start to the end.

Background and Context

On 10^th November 2013, a tropical cyclone hit the North-Eastern coast of Puntland. Puntland is situated in the north eastern part of the country. The region is bordered by the Somaliland region to its west, the Gulf of Aden in the north, the Indian Ocean in the southeast, the central Galmudug region in the south, and Ethiopia in the southwest.

The region was struck by a tropical cyclone in November 2013 in the regions of Bari and Nugal. Five days later, on 15^th November 2013, the United Nations (UNOCHA) Somalia Office conducted an initial aerial assessment of the most affected regions. The assessment results revealed that the devastating effects of the cyclone were much registered in the districts Dangoranyo and Eyl in Nugal region and Banderbayla in Bari region. The results of the assessment also revealed that a number of households lost property and their source of livelihoods, especially livestock. People lost lives, families lost homes, and household assets including fishing boats and businesses. It created flash floods and heavy rainfall mainly affecting the districts of Eyl, Bendar bayla, Dangoranyo, Jariban, Garowe, Iskushuban, Allula, Las Qoray, and Kandala. Over the next 24 hours after the cyclone, Puntland authorities declared a state of emergency and announced that the storm may have killed 100 people and wiped out thousands of livestock.

Based on that UN initial assessment, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) designed a project to respond to the effects of the cyclone aiming at rebuilding the livelihoods of the affected households and promote the right to food. The project was set to start in June 2014.

Project objectives

The project aimed at the distribution of productive animals to cyclone affected households to contribute to the household subsistence and economy as well as the rebuilding of the critical nuclear herd of livestock in the cyclone affected districts of Dangorayo, Eyl and Bendarbayla in Nugal and Bari regions of Puntland

The outcome of the project

500 households from cyclone affected vulnerable households in Nugal and Bari regions received 12,500 productive goats, with each household getting Twenty Five (25) productive goats to rebuild their livelihoods.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND METHODOLOGY

The project was implemented using partnerships and participatory methodologies. The FAO decided to engage four of its local Puntland partners to take lead the implementation of the project. The agencies include: Kaalo Aid and Development (Kaalo), Puntland Livestock Professionals Association (PULPA), Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandary (MoLAH), and Shakir Company. These partners ensured proper coordination among them and adequate participation of the beneficiary communities at every stage of project implementation.

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Distribution process and method. 10

LESSONS LEARNED AND OBSERVATIONS. 11

CHALLENGES. 12

RECOMMENDATIONS. 12

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT ACTIVITY LEVEL

Community Mobilization

The project began with mobilisation of the beneficiary communities in which the project was introduced to the community stakeholders. This was done under a collaborative arrangement of the implementing agencies. On 19th Augst, 2014 the team composed of two persons from Puntland Livestock Profesional Association (PULPA), one person from Kaalo, and two from Puntland Ministry of Livestock and Animal Husbandry (MoLAH) went to project targeted districts namely: Eyl, Dangorayo, and Bendarbeyla to meet with the community stakeholders. The team held meetings with the key stakeholders (Mayors, tradtional leaders, leaders of beneficiaries, etc) in each district in which they shared information about what the project was aiming to achieve, project outcomes, and activities. They also shared the lists of the beneficiaries for each district which had been prepared by the Minsitry of Livestock and Animal Hunsbandry for further verifications. The following community mobilisation meetings were conducted:

Livestock Distribution Phases

During the community mobilization period, Kaalo, in collaboration with other implementing partners verified the list of beneficiaries to prepare for the actual animal distribution phases. The distribution was done in three phases. The first phase covered the district of Eyl in Nugal region in which 4,750 goats were handed over to 190 households on 7^th September, 2014. During the second phase, 5,250 goats were distributed to 210 households and covered the district of Dangoranyo whilst in the third phase that covered the district of Bendar beyla, Kaalo gave out 2,500

goats to 100 households on 1^st and 15^th October, 2014 respectively. All the three phases saw all the planned 12,500 goats having been distributed to 500 households in the targeted regions of Nugal and Bari.

The table below shows number of goats distributed, beneficiaries, districts, and dates

S/N	Number of goats	Beneficiaries	District	Distribution date	Responsible
1.	4,750	190 HHs	Eyl	7th Sep.2014	Kaalo
2.	5,250	210 HHS	Dangorayo	1st Oct. 2014	Kaalo
3.	2,500	100 HHs	Bayla	15th Oct. 2014	Kaalo
Total	12,500	500HHs

Pre-distribution advance field trips

Before every distribution phase, Kaalo always sent a pre-distribution advance team three days before the date for distribution. At the advent of the first phase, Kaalo dispatched the project manager and two other staff on 3^rd September, 2014 as an advance team to keep at Tabin, the Eyl district distribution site till 7^th September, 2014 (distribution date). The second phase which took place on 1^st October, 2014 at Baqbaq distribution site, received the advance team on 28^th September, 2014 whilst the third and last phase animal distribution which took place at Dhuudo on 15^th October 2014, saw the Kaalo advance team on 12^th October 2014. The reasons Kaalo always sent an advance team prior to the distribution date were to familiarize with the beneficiary communities, understand the security situation so as to be assured there was nothing likely to disrupt the distributions exercise, take stock of the animals in the PULPA withholding kraal, hold meetings with the local community leaders and key individuals including village chairpersons, traditional elders, the Mayors and representatives of beneficiaries to iron out issues that could have emerged. These pre-distribution meetings catalyzed the distribution exercises for a lot of issues were always addressed amicably before the date of giving out the animals.

Distribution open ceremonies

Each livestock distribution phase, on the distribution date, began with an opening ceremony attended by different dignitaries particularly from relevant government ministries, security agencies, local community leadership, officials from the project implementing agencies, and beneficiary communities. The launch and opening ceremonies were organised by the implementing partners in collaboration with community leaders including the traditional Sultans, the village local leaders, and religious leaders.

The Puntland Vice President, Mr. Abdihakin Haji, attended the first and the second phase opening ceremonies. In his key note address at these ceremonies, the Vice President expressed gratitude to FAO for having remembered to support the Puntland people caught up in the cyclone disaster. He also thanked the management of Kaalo for employing excellent methods in animal distribution exercise and all other stakeholders that were involved in making the project a success. However, he cautioned the beneficiaries that they need not to sell animals they were to receive because they are meant to sustainably rebuild their livelihoods destroyed by the cyclone.

Like the Vice President, during his opening remarks, the Mayor of Bedarbeyla expressed his happiness and inner most thanks to FAO for proving the project funds and project implementing agencies (Kaalo, PULPA, MoLAH and Shakir) for successfully implementing the project supporting the cyclone affected people in his district. He advised the beneficiaries to sustain the goats given to them as a livelihood for food and income security.

Distribution process and method

The actual distribution process of livestock (goats) for all the three phases always began with Puntland Livestock Professional Associations (PULPA)’s completion of the vaccination/treatment of all the animals for a particular phase. Kaalo would thereafter send the project team to visit the PULPA withholding kraal prior to the distribution date to take stock of the animals vaccinated, understand their conditions and confirm the distribution date.

In the early morning of every distribution day, Kaalo’s team could count goats destined to be distributed for that particular phase and officially received them from PULPA and distribute them to the number of household identified to receive on that day and phase. Depending on the number of households, Kaalo divided them into groups in order to support each other in moving their goats to their respective destinations. This was to make it easy for them to share the security provided by the escorts organized by Kaalo. Escorts safeguarded goats of beneficiaries from any animosity that could be emerge from the crowd of people that gathered at the distribution site.

It should be noted that in each phase, many cyclone affected community members gathered in big numbers at the distribution site, and community elders of the affected areas convene a meeting of all beneficiaries on the list. In this meeting, beneficiary households on the Ministry list were convinced to each relinquish number of goats that would be given to those vulnerable persons not on the list. The real beneficiaries on the list agreed to their elders’ suggestion. Based on that decision, more than another 500 identified as vulnerable persons benefited indirectly. The number relinquished in each site were as; Eyl 3 goats, Dangoranyo 5 goats, and Banderbayla 5 goats from each beneficiary in the list. This promoted solidarity in the beneficiary communities.

In this case KAALO was invited at the distribution center meeting where by the elders of the cyclone effected communities and the beneficiaries came together and declared publicly that they have agreed to relinquish an agreed number from each household for the other cyclone effected community members that have not been in the beneficiaries list, it was purely a traditional issue in which the whole community members have agreed. It should also be noted that it would be very difficult for the distribution to be made without the full support of the community elders whose consultations has led to the successful completion of the project.

LESSONS LEARNED AND OBSERVATIONS

i. Some beneficiaries always wanted the animals to be purchased from Puntland for fear that if the animals were bought from oust side, they could come with diseases and spread them in their area. However, the animals were being vaccinated to avoid disease spread.
ii. The involvement of the local leaders especially the Mayors, clan elders, and the villages committees became a catalyst to community mobilization and project success.

A project of this kind that involves various implementing agencies needs to have a coordination mechanism, understand each others’ role and do effective sharing of information on time.
No monitoring mechanism in the project to discourage beneficiaries from immediate selling animals given them. The beneficiaries could sell these animals immediately after receiving them and this could erode intended impact of livelihood sustainability to promote income security and food.
Animal vaccination is very important for it allays fears from beneficiary communities that the animals to be distributed are bought from regions where animals are infected with diseases.
Adequate security at the distribution site is vital to deal with any chaos that may occur at the distribution site because of the crowds especially of people not on the gazetted beneficiary lists
The selection of the beneficiaries needs to take into consideration the clan dynamics carefully to conform to the ‘do no harm principle’.
Taking note of the lessons learnt from the previous activities makes the subsequent actions very successful
We also learnt the importance of having two budget lines for security and distribution

CHALLENGES

The following were some of the challenges Kaalo met during the livestock distribution exercises:

Some community beneficiaries were opposed to marking their livestock because it proved very complicated to perform when it was the only monitoring mechanism one could use to avoid resale of the animals to the supplier for supplying them during subsequent distribution phases.
Non compliance to project agreements where there were a mix of animal species (goat and sheep) at some point made sort of misunderstanding between Kaalo and other implementing agencies
The number of animals to be distributed having been smaller than the number of people who were affected by the devastating effects of the cyclone made affected people not on the list to mount pressure on the animal distribution agencies and this led to wastage of time.
Most of the animals lost their ear tags while searching for pasture. For that reason, it became difficult to distribute them in serial number sequence based on the ear tag as earlier planned.
Pastoralists constantly move from one location to another in search of pasture and water making it difficult to reach them at time required
Beneficiaries claimed transportation of goats to their respective areas from the distribution centre, adding that FAO representative who visited the site confirmed that KAALO will transport even when Kaalo had agreed to spend the transportation budget on security.
There was a challenge from the supplier side (Shakir ) in regard to supply of the animals, in which KAALO experienced delays in all the three distribution phases that has led some confusion and failure to timelines.

RECOMMENDATIONS

There is need to put in place a monitoring mechanism of the distributed animals for at least six months to avoid being sold by beneficiaries so as achieve a sustained livelihood in the beneficiary communities.
If FAO funds another similar project, there would be a need to ensure that implementing agencies effectively coordinate and share information to avoid lapses, effective participation of beneficiaries and stakeholder consultations
There need to purchase goats that can adapt to the local climatic and weather conditions of the beneficiary communities if the livestock is to be sustained and benefit the beneficiaries for long
Security and transportation were cost centers not well embodied into the budget and it was imperative that this is considered in similar projects in future.
There is a need to consider all implementing stakeholders should have understood in humanitarian context and not to involve more focus businesses oriented partners.
Recommended valuable and possible future interventions are; cash for work, and food for asset programs, water catchment projects, that are important for the livelihood improvement for the effected cyclone communities.
Relocation of those other affected cyclone households into the coastal villages and provide alternative livelihood programs.