Horn Relief History
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Horn Relief is dedicated to creating sustainable peace and development in Somalia through grassroots capacity building, developing youth leadership, empowerment of women, and protection of the environment.
Horn Relief promotes lasting change in Somalia by assisting Somali communities to define and meet their own developmental needs.
Horn Relief operates under the mandate that access to resources, political decision-making, and education should be open to all Somalis. It is our fundamental belief that peace and development in Somalia has to be determined and led by Somalis.
Horn Relief (HR) is an African-led international organization that is dedicated to supporting sustainable peace and development in Somalia through grassroots capacity building, youth development, promotion of human rights and women's leadership, and protection of the environment.
Horn Relief was established in 1991 to work with pastoralist communities in Somalia in support of their economic and social needs. Pastoralists have traditionally been a highly productive sector of Somali society, driving the livestock trade and other areas of economic growth and that have supported the country as a whole. The civil war and the resulting social and economic upheaval led to widespread suffering, one aspect of which was the threat to the very survival of pastoralism. The natural environment on which pastoralism is based has also been under assault, as the impact of civil war has led to the breakdown of natural resource management systems that enabled pastoral communities to prosper became unpredictable and resulting in harsh environmental conditions.
Mission
Horn Relief is an African-lead international development and humanitarian organisation. We aim to improve the conditions of those who are living in marginalized areas in the Horn of Africa. We strengthen rural livelihoods through environmental, training, technology transfer and innovative humanitarian projects in pursuit of a peaceful, self-reliant, and greener future.
Horn Relief pursues its mission in five main areas:
Natural Resource Management
Participatory Education and Skills Training
Peace and Human Rights
Food Security and Livelihoods
Emergency Response
Horn Relief has been recognized internationally for its environmental work. In 2002, Horn Relief's co-founder and Executive Director, Fatima Jibrell, was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa for her leadership in creating a social and environmental movement in Somalia, particularly around her efforts to halt the environmentally devastating charcoal trade.
Horn Relief continues to support pastoral communities in their efforts to preserve the natural environment and other components of social life that are essential for their survival and self-reliance.