Across Somalia’s drought- and conflict-affected regions, women and girls displaced from their homes continue to face intersecting crises—climate shocks, insecurity, loss of livelihoods, and widespread gender-based violence (GBV). These realities have left thousands of survivors struggling with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and, in many cases, suicidal thoughts, often with little or no access to formal mental health care.
With funding support from the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition (LDYC), Hawa Feminist Coalition implemented a community-driven project to strengthen Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services for GBV survivors among drought-displaced populations in Garowe, Badhan, Laascaanood, and Galkacyo in Somalia.
Hawa Feminist Coalition successfully trained 100 young women volunteers in MHPSS skills across the four target towns. The trainings were facilitated by an experienced female MHPSS practitioner with deep expertise in trauma-informed care and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings.
The training equipped volunteers with practical skills in Psychological First Aid (PFA), one-on-one psychosocial counseling, trauma-healing group facilitation, stress management and resilience-building techniques, and safe referral pathways for protection and health services.
Following the training, volunteers received months of continuous mentorship, ensuring that learning translated into safe, ethical, and effective community-based practice.
Reaching 41,500 Survivors Through Grassroots MHPSS Networks
After completing their training, the young women volunteers were mobilized to provide direct MHPSS services in their own communities. Through this approach, the project reached approximately 41,500 drought- and conflict-affected individuals, the majority of whom were survivors of gender-based violence, across Garowe, Badhan, Laascaanood, and Galkacyo.
Support was delivered through a feminist, survivor-centered, and volunteer-led model, designed to ensure accessibility for women and girls living in internally displaced persons (IDP) settlements and host communities where formal mental health services are extremely limited or nonexistent.
The MHPSS support package included:
- Psychological First Aid (PFA) for individuals in acute distress
- Individual psychosocial counseling sessions
- Trauma-healing support circles, providing safe spaces for collective healing
- GBV awareness and prevention dialogues
- Stress-management and coping skills sessions
- Safe referrals to available health, protection, and social services
Importantly, many of the volunteers were GBV survivors themselves, enabling empathetic peer-to-peer support that reduced stigma and encouraged help-seeking among women and girls.
Services were delivered inside IDP settlements and surrounding host communities through 22 grassroots MHPSS groups established under the project. These groups conducted continuous weekly outreach in major settlements, including Shabelle, Jilib, Bulo Eelay, Halobooqad, Madina, Buulo Bacley, and Tawakal IDP camps.
Volunteers used door-to-door visits to reach isolated survivors, small-group counseling and healing circles, and community dialogues at water points, community centers, and food distribution sites. This approach helped overcome key barriers such as limited mobility, insecurity, and cultural stigma that often prevent women and girls from accessing care.
To sustain quality and coordination, volunteers received ongoing technical guidance through digital mentorship platforms, particularly WhatsApp groups, where they remained connected with the lead trainer and Hawa Feminist Coalition’s project team.
Trust, Proximity, and Consistent Presence
The project’s methodology was grounded in proximity, trust-building, and consistent community presence. Volunteers were selected from within drought- and conflict-displaced populations themselves, and 76% were GBV survivors. This shared lived experience played a critical role in building trust and enabling open, honest conversations around trauma and mental health.
The majority of beneficiaries were young women aged 18–25, followed by women aged 26–40 and adolescent girls aged 15–17—groups that are particularly vulnerable to GBV and climate-related stress. Each grassroots MHPSS group was assigned specific settlement zones, allowing for systematic household-level engagement, regular follow-up with individuals showing signs of trauma or emotional distress, and early identification of survivors needing additional support. Large-scale awareness sessions further expanded reach and helped identify individuals requiring individual or group psychosocial care.
A Model of Care Rooted in Community and Dignity
This comprehensive, community-embedded approach ensured that MHPSS services remained accessible, culturally appropriate, and responsive to the lived realities of displaced women and girls. Even in hard-to-reach areas with minimal mental health infrastructure, the project demonstrated that local, feminist, and survivor-led models can deliver meaningful psychosocial support at scale.
By centering trust, solidarity, and women’s leadership, Hawa Feminist Coalition—together with the support of LDYC—was able to bring healing, dignity, and hope to tens of thousands of GBV survivors across Somalia’s most drought-affected regions.
