Organization & Establishment
Initiative for Relief and Climate Action (IRCA) is a Somali based, non-political, not-for-profit, and non-governmental humanitarian relief- and development organization established in 2018 by a local Somali Intellectuals that focuses to save lives, battling climate change- related issues by promoting Environmental sustainability and livelihood interventions, promote the path to self-reliance and dignity through human transformation going beyond relief and development.
The purpose is to provide sustainable Environmental friendly basic services and livelihood opportunities to support the most vulnerable communities in hard to reach areas both in the urban and rural areas of Southern Somalia consequently to have access to better education, adequate primary health care, and employment opportunities, respect the ideals of human rights, peace, good-governance and eventually improved sustainable community development through Environmental and climate friendly approaches while ensuring environmental sustainability through conservation and improvement of livelihoods in the communities.
The vulnerable communities in IRCA targeted areas live in extremely poor and under-developed conditions and are faced with many challenges over and above climate change induced crisis. These challenges include, though not limited to livelihood (crop and animal production); health, including those related to water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition; and poor school enrolment by children of school going age. Successive conflicts leading to internal population displacement, and frequent droughts leading to famine have aggravated the challenges.
IRCA’s humanitarian and development intervention programs are holistic, people-centered, community-based, and sustainable. Therefore, sustainable livelihoods approaches are adopted for all IRCA strategic and short-term program focus in Somalia.
IRCA sustainable livelihoods program interventions only add to the current humanitarian and developmental commitments in Somalia, by utilizing principally home-ground solutions to vulnerable community challenges and needs. IRCA corresponds to the existing international and national humanitarian and development strategies.
The organization puts into operation in participatory approaches, strategic planning, and community mobilization to find solutions to community problems. It offers a range of programming and support in: Emergency Relief Response, Food Security, Agriculture and Livelihood Development, Health & Nutrition, Education, WASH, Protection and Climate change mitigations.