Technology & Innovation Projects

Due to a general scarcity of water in both villages, there was a need to find long-term, safe, and sustainable water supply solutions. In Qoyta, this involved constructing last-mile water piping into the village, allowing individual homes to tap into the mains. In Qoryaale, the dam rehabilitation would serve 3,000 households securing lasting water access to the community.

Communities living in Qoryaale have a long-standing tradition of fundraising for community projects. Each village would raise funds depending on the scale of the community projects. “We would raise funds from the business community, diaspora communities, private sector, community, and individual contributions, said Ali Omar Ibrahim. People sent money to mobile phones; others raised cash, delivering it directly to community members. The cash donations risked misuse of funds earmarked for specific projects. Unfortunately, attempts to raise funds failed, or in some cases, funds were misappropriated due to a lack of accounting and traceability. The community had no knowledge of the technology that would facilitate ease of fundraising and transparency.

When the idea of crowdfunding for community development projects was presented, they were eager to understand and be involved. The new approach needed expertise, coordination, and financial acumen that the community did not possess. CARE International partnered with Shaqodoon, a local organisation that uses innovation and technology to inculcate entrepreneurial culture amongst communities across Somalia. Shaqodoon’s role was to formalize the fundraising process through different means, including social media and events, sending SMS, following up the fundraising status, accountability, and transparency.

Community Ownership: Inclusion Through Active Participation in Socio-Economic Engagement

The Village Development Committee led the community development activities under the leadership of the elected chairman. Shaqodoon worked with Village Development Committee (VDC) to empower them in establishing bank accounts linked to mobile money and organized fundraising events through social media. Initially, the community were sceptical and unsure of the process of raising funds.

“The crowdfunding concept was new to the community. In an interview with the community members, they explain initial scepticism of the community, “People needed to trust that there would be accountability, transparency, and ownership of their donation,” said Mohamed Saleban Xaji Farax.

The crowdfunding process resolved this issue and added value to the existing tradition. The Shaqodoon team trained the VDC members on the crowdfunding process, financial structure in fundraising, access to funds, bank account access, accountability, and digital fundraising and mobilisation.

Providing Locally-led Solutions to Economic Development

Shaqodoon introduced the community to their innovative crowdfunding platform Bulshokaab. It is a local online crowdfunding platform easing collection of funds whilst ensuring transparency and accountability. It has increased the transparency and accountability of community development projects and gained the trust of the contributors.

Shaqodoon opened community bank accounts in Dara-Salaam and Dahabshiil banks linking the two accounts to mobile money services. In addition, Shaqodoon trained the committee members in procurement, contracting, and project oversight of the construction company.

CARE International, Shaqodoon Organization, and VDC held a fundraising event for the “Qoyta water extension project” and Qoryaale Water Dam Rehabilitation Project. At the event, CARE International pledged $6,000 for Qoryaale village and $5000 for Qoyta village. The community members further pledged $ 2,104 for the dam and $2,080 for the water extension. All those who pledged received SMS reminder from Bulshokaab, and other received SMS to mobilise more donations. The community successfully reached its fundraising target.

The innovative crowdfunding approach to community projects was received positively by villagers, building trust in the partnership model with stakeholders. In Qoryaale, the dam rehabilitation fundraising target was reached in 2 months. The rehabilitation is ongoing; however, it has experienced delays due to Covid- 19 affecting the supply chain. In Qoyta, the installation of a 970m water supply pipeline is complete. The newly installed mains pipe runs through the village, where the community can connect clean running water to their homes. “We can now reap the benefits of the water extension project, giving the initial 500 households access to clean water, reducing the distance of obtaining water to a distribution centre in the city.” said the Mayor of the city, estimating an overall 1500 households would benefit from the project. The blended approach has led to the community ownership of the planning, implementation, monitoring, outcome, and impact of projects within their community.

The community was thrilled to be connected to the water pipeline. "I was recently linked to the water pipeline; all I did was get my plumber to connect to my home to mains. I've had a 90% drop in the cost of purchasing water from $5 every fortnight before to $0.5 now... this dramatic savings will add up in the long term and will be used to improve my family's life. We no longer need to ration water and can afford to use more water with the same budget.” Ali Omer Ibrahim. The crowdfunding project was not aimed only to implement the community projects but to transfer the knowledge and use modern fundraising mechanisms such as the Bulshokaab online platform. said Ahmed Sulaiman, manager.

Ahmed said, “at the first time, I was expecting some difficulties in using new technologies for community fundraising and the acceptance of the idea of the partnership between the community and the international NGOs for the community projects. Following my direct interaction with the community members and the mobilization sessions in addition to the CF training, my initial assumption has changed, seeing the possibility and readiness of the community to hit targets and raise funds with little support. I was pleased to witness the initial results of the two projects, Qoyta successfully completed and Qoryaale partially completed. I am proud of the result of the CF resulting in individual households drinking clean water in the comfort of their homes. These processes and results show me when the community is committed; they can accomplish the unimaginable. Slowly building the trust of the community in the CF makes me feel pleased.”

Key Takeaway:

The project adds value to the process of fundraising and increases the community's confidence in themselves and the process of fundraising. Having learnt to procure, manage, and raise funds, the community is empowered to do it themselves. Shaqodoon’s innovative solutions are vital in ensuring accountability, ease of fundraising, and local ownership.

“We are now thinking of replicating the process to fund a health project using Bulshokaab with a partner that provides a matching fund.” Abdirahman Sead Awad, the mayor of Qoryaale.

A community approach to problem-solving ensures economic opportunities for all while providing inclusive growth anchored on asset-based community development. The inclusion of communities in their economic development enables social cohesion, local ownership and ensures a successful sustainable solution.