Background

Geist and Lions started a collaboration project last autumn with focus Somalia aiming at introducing rescuing plan for people suffering from starvation due to severe draughts by introduction of the Living bread linked to our Raura initiative. We are now raising funds from Lions Clubs in Sweden and Somalia for taking the next steps, involving training of womengroups and schools in Living Bread baking. Here comes a summary of the journey.

The project was initiated during a journey to Somalia in November last year aiming at an introduction of the RAURA – initiative for creation of immediate actions for eradication of the hunger catastrophe The agenda involved;

·         Organic farming and food security by training of women groups and farmers in baking sprout mix applications like the Living Bread

·         Creation of contacts with schools and government officials

·         Training in Conflict solutions and nonviolent communication for peaceful coexistence with police officers

The presentation was very well received and created a huge interest in the RAURA – initiative among all stakeholders.

Women groups in the agriculture cooperatives were trained on how to make living bread.  The result was very exciting on how quickly they learned and committed that they were going to make it the next day. They were able to make the living bread and were ready to present it in the agriculture show/exhibition that was happening at the agriculture site in Armo district. In this agriculture show, Geist and the Lions team were privileged to meet the minister for agriculture, the minister for finance, the governor of Bari region, and the mayor of Carmo. They showcased the living bread and explained how it is made and the government leaders committed to supporting the initiative to help farmers preserve their food but also add value to farm production.

During the meetings with the women groups and agriculture cooperatives, we presented how farmers could adapt to Climate Change by embracing the RAURA initiative. The introduction of the Living Bread will cure Hunger and the establishment of Living Gardens will pave the way for the reclaim of denuded land and Re-Greening of Africa. The living bread and sprout mix alternatives will pave the way for new sustainable job opportunities resilience adapted to Global Warming and bringing people out of misery, thus preventing them from escaping from their homes to other countries. .

We also trained the leaders at the police academy on non-violent communication skills. Around 30 police officers and police students at the academy attended the training.  After the training, we had a discussion with the head of the Academy and later the leaders gave us a free space within the Police Academy for us to start the living bread garden, where we can also grow food for the prisoners.

On another meeting with the mayor of Armo we shared with him on what we were doing with the community. He was really encouraged and moved to give us a piece of land within Carmo town where the Lions Clubs in Bossaso are going to start implementation of our RAURA initiative and use the place for becoming a training center for our activities run by the  women groups

The government leaders at both local and regional levels were all very eager to take actions for support and facilitate actions for introduction of the RAURA initiative involving:

-          Introduction of the RAURA initiative in schools in Bossaso and Armo followed up by a presentation of the RAURA initiative for all schools in Somalia

-          Support for farmer cooperatives and women groups to start Living Garden project in Armo

-          Immediate actions supporting women groups to train people in East Somalia in Living Bread baking for preventing a hunger catastrophe in Somalia. We will take action initiation of World Food Program collaboration.

-          Re-greening Africa initiative in collaboration with farmer cooperatives and rural schools.

All proposed actions will aim at creating food security, water security, access to proper sanitation, and an incubator for the creation of new sustainable jobs resilience adapted to Climate Change.

Our activities were covered well in Media including the Puntland state TV that sent news and even a long video program about Living Bread baking and the agriculture exhibition.