Tuesday, September 1, 2009
For more information, contact:
John Torres, Senior Public Relations Manager

SILVER SPRING, Md. \u2014In southern Somalia, a combination of poor seasonal rains,
civil insecurity, and the resulting escalation of food prices have contributed to a loss
of economic opportunities in the region, further depleting scarce family resources
and deteriorating an already difficult humanitarian situation, reported the Adventist
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

To aid vulnerable families, ADRA implemented the Emergency Water and Livelihood
Support Programme (EWLSP), a multi\u2010phase project that has provided emergency
relief for hundreds of thousands in the Bay and Bakol regions, strengthening their
resilience against chronic lack of food and economic instability.

EWLSP was originally launched in response to a severe drought that ravaged the targeted regions in 2006. Since then, it has benefited more than 300,000 people in the Bay and Bakol regions, including some 130,000 during the third phase of the project.

Through EWLSP, ADRA rehabilitated local water points to improve community
access to clean water, helped residents improve their financial situation through
participation in income\u2010generating activities, and provided training for community
members in conflict mitigation. Other key components included improving nutrition
by establishing new kitchen gardens, and providing training for village health

\u201cI am very happy to have learned the importance of vegetables for good nutrition
and for economic gain,\u201d said a project participant who learned to grow various types
of vegetables and fruits through ADRA\u2019s Kitchen Gardening Initiative. \u201cIn addition to
increasing my income, the health of my family has improved. Thank you ADRA for
introducing me to kitchen gardening.\u201d