HI Kenya - Somali

© Éric Martin / Le Figaro / Handicap International

Sustainability research in Somaliland:

lessons learnt and perspectives

Nepal, 24-29 January 2013

Bernard Franck

Outline of the presentation

• Somaliland Context

• Somaliland’s participation in the research

• How the research helped/contributed in strengthening the physical rehabilitation services in Somaliland

• What was learned

• Constraining factors

• Enabling factors

• Conclusion

Somaliland context

Somaliland context

Hargeisa

Somaliland context

Political context:• The population is 3.5 million, with no dada on disability.

• Somaliland is a post-conflict country with a remaining fragile security context.

• Somaliland self-declared his independence from Somalia in 1992 but was never recognized by international community as independent country.

Somaliland context (2)

Development and health indicators are among the lowest in the world.

• Somalia ranked 161 out of 163 states in terms of the level of human development (UNDP, 2001)

• Nearly a quarter of all children (22.4%) die before their fifth birthday (UNDP, 2001)

• Infant mortality is estimated to be 118 per 1000 live births (UNICEF, 2004)

• The maternal mortality ratio 1,400 per 100,000 live births (WHO, 2007).

2 Services Providers in competition

Somali Red Croissant SocietyDisability Action Network

Two providers located in the same

street

Annual budget: 200,000 US$ Annual budget:

100,000 US$

Somaliland’s participation in the research

June 2009: first mission of researcher- To understand the history of the partnership between DAN and HI - To identify the main actors of the rehabilitation sector.

January 2011: first workshop with actors- To identify common core sustainability indicators. - To introduce the Sustainability Analysis Process (SAP). - To enable the actors to define and measure sustainability

indicators for rehabilitation services in Somaliland.

July 2012: second workshop with actors- To follow-up progress of the use of sustainability indicators.

How the research helped/contributed

• The research gave the opportunity to actors to think together long term through a external facilitator.

• The discussions increased understanding of rehabilitation issues among Government authorities.

• The research provided the actors with a framework to understand sustainably and to analyze what they already do.

• Now, physical rehabilitation is progressively seen as a sector more than as individual projects.

What was learned

• Actors realized that sustainability doesn't necessarily mean that Government has to take over the provision of services.

• Even if project survival is the main concern today, sectorial approach is perceived as essential for the long term.

• Keeping proactive communication between actors including Government authorities, is important to build a strong sector.

Constraining factors

• The rehabilitation social network is not very dense.

• For more than 10 years only 2 national organisations are leading the provision of rehabilitation services and both protect their “baby”.

• The 2 service providers are reluctant to let the Government and other actors become more involved in the sector.

• Government is invisible and doesn’t show any interest for the rehabilitation sector.

• No national “champion of sustainability” available to lead the follow up of the research at macro level.

• Low ownership of local actors to move forward on the research because sponsored (imported) by international organization.

• Involving time at a macro level (sustainability of the sector) is difficult when at micro level (project) the question is how to survive.

• Some actors simply see sustainability as unachievable under current context in Somaliland

Constraining factors

Enabling factors

• Actors have very strong ownership and willingness for rehabilitation (project) and for disability issues.

• A national policy on disability was locally developed based on a good collaboration between actors.

• During the workshops the Ministry showed a good participation and knowledge-sharing and recently took some initiatives to coordinate actors around disability issues.

• Somaliland seems to be in a phase of acceleration of the development process and starts to attract interest of international donors.

• To encourage actors to reinforce the rehabilitation sector as a whole, instead of continuing focusing on centres.

• Effectively expose the partners to international donors for self fundraising.

• Capacity building for proposal writing and budget/finance management.

• To encourage Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) to organize and host regular and inclusive cross-sectoral disability coordination meetings.

Conclusions Way Forward…

Any questions?

Thank youMerci