The tools for restarting
Increasingly frequent attacks by armed groups linked to jihadists of the self-declared Islamic State have caused a serious humanitarian crisis in the Cabo Delgado Province. According to OCHA data, there are more than 732,000 displaced people. The District of Ibo has received about 32,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs), and the population of the four islands has thus almost tripled. The population has increased from 17,000 to 50,000. For the first time, we are working with the World Food Programme to secure livelihoods for the Ibo District's resident and displaced population.
Due to the current humanitarian crisis, Ibo Island is now a very isolated area. The island is militarized, and the population therefore has very little access to sources of livelihood. The conflict has forced the 15,000 residents and 35,000 displaced persons to depend on humanitarian aid. However, this is not a sustainable practice in the long run. With this pilot project we are supporting the community in finding concrete, sustainable and replicable solutions to improve their livelihoods.
We do this by investing in the strengthening of three main sectors:
Agricultural and rice production: distribution of seeds, agricultural equipment, and specialized training for 900 families (about 4,500 people) including displaced persons and residents. We are also involving 245 families of the Metuge District in this agricultural intervention.
Sustainable fishing: to strengthen this area, we are offering technical training and equipment for ice production and processing of products to 265 families of residents and displaced people.
Bakery food production: training on the construction of energy efficient ovens and on baking for 28 families.
This is a pilot project that can be replicated for numerous other families in the District and potentially in other settings.