Mothers First in Somaliland
How we began and where we are now
The Listening Tent.
In 2023 Mothers First helped establish a Listening Tent — a safe, welcoming space where people could come together to share their stories. That simple tent became a cherished hub, a center for community and connection.
What they asked for
The community came up with 6 long term durable solutions
Durable Solution Progress
1 Training of traditional midwives
2 Build a Birthing Centre
3 Miro loans
4 Global Action Plan on Wasting
5 Dry Land Agriculture Project
6 Water and Sanitation
Mothers First Work in Iadeen Village Somaliland.
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In 2023, Mothers First developed a listening project in Somaliland, East Africa.
The new community called Iidaan village consists of almost 600 households had been relocated from the city of Hargesia to baren location 20 km outside the city.
This page details our response to the communityescription text goes here
What we have achieved So far
Out most recent project
We Toilets, what we take for granted is a luxury in this camp.
Ennabled the training of a traditional Midwife
Cost 100 Euro
Built and equiped a birthing centre.
Cost 5500 Euro
Installed a water and sanatation system for 1 family
Cost 550 Euro
Thank
You .
When ideas become solutions.
Cost 6450 Euro
Developed a miro loans Chicken project for 7 families.
Cost 800 Euro
52 acts of Kindness to inspire you
Phase 2 is ready to go and we hope that you will consider being part of these next 5 Actions colective action we have planned.
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The community Birthing Center has been damaged by unseasonably heavy rains and wind. The structure needs stronger roof timber as well as drainage and floor reinforcement.
Action 1
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Number 2
In 2024 Rekuia was chosen by the community to recieve t 1 weeks formal midwifery training in the Edna Annan Hospital. She lives in the village and receives no payment.
From her own undertaking she opens the centre and sits there every morning. Her work has value
Action 2
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Poultry Restocking:
Procure and distribute 35 healthy chickens to seven households, with
proper documentation for a revolving scheme.
Action 3
Action 4
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A small micro loans funded business to 7 families has struggled due to disease outbreaks and loss of chickens.
1 We will Engage a qualified consultant to train representatives from each household on poultry health management.
Provision of Vaccines & Medicines: Distribute vaccines and medicines during and after the training to ensure flocks are healthy
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Five of the most vulnerable families currently have no access to latrines. They
are forced to use unsafe open areas, exposing them to waterborne diseases, compromising their
dignity, and putting women and girls at risk of gender-based violence during night-time.
Special Note on the water and sanitation project
Delivering a water and sanitation project to the most vulnerable families is labour intensive.
It means 1 weeks work for 4 people. All Labour is sourced within the village. It means 75% of the cost of each project stays within the community themselves.
Action 5
52 Acts of Kindness
Walking with us will take you somewhere filled with hope and possibility
How we achieving success
What we have Achieved so far
Birthing Centre
In response in 2024 Mothers First has built a birthing clinic—a vital first step toward ensuring safe deliveries.
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Thanks to the skill and knowledge of local Somaliland craftspeople, the structure for the Birthing Clinic has already been built — using traditional methods suited to the environment and climate. Now, we need your help to complete it and make it ready for the very first baby to be born safely inside.
Built a birthing Centre
Birthing Centre phase 2 completed
In July 2025 we completed phase 2.
With the generous support of 50 donors we have made a significant step forward in dillivering safer births in this camp. Listen to this short video from Reakeu.
Training for Traditional Midwives
Perhaps one of the most humbling experiences of the listening tents project was the request from the traditional midwives for training.
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This was humbling because they recognised the need for training to better serve and protect pregnant women.
We are delighted to partner with the Edna Adan University Hospital will provide this in-hospital training as part of its service deliverycription text goes here
In this video Reakeu, a traditional midwife working in the camp for internally displaced people tells us why they need a birthing centre.
It is beautiful to hear her words, telling us the importance of this project and reminding us that the work is not yet complete.
Micro loans
One of the universal issues that emerged in the listening tents process was access to employment and employment generating opportunities.
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Using the microloan fiance model developed in India, we have started a small micro loans program within the camp. 7 households have been given 120 dollars each to develop a small poultry business. They are currently setting up a cooperative to sell their egg production. The miro loans project goes beyond just providing the assistance but seeks to develop a cooperative to establish a viable enterprise
Built a birthing Centre
Phase 2
A follow up of the Microloans
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This was humbling because they recognised the need for training to better serve and protect pregnant women.
We are delighted to partner with the Edna Adan University Hospital will provide this in-hospital training as part of its service deliverycription text goes here
Water and Sanitation
Water and sanitation programs, often referred to as WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) programs,
Of the 600 families only 138 families have a toilet.
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Using the labour in the camp we are building toilets for the most vulnerable households.
Our building model and costs
All building that is taken place in the camp uses the skilled labour from witin the camp.
The cost of each pit toilet is 550 Euro, of that 400 euro goes on direct labour.. This means that the money this money stays within the community..
Built a birthing Centre
Dry Land Agricultural Project
Developing employment and income opportunities is vital for resilience and durable solutions. To address challenges in the IIDAAN IDP Camp, the initiative introduces dryland farming, a method suited to arid regions with limited water.
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This system will enhance nutrition, strengthen livelihoods, and reduce climate vulnerability by making efficient use of scarce resources.
Following discussions with the Mayor of Hargeisa, we are pleased to announce that 2 hectares of land just beyond the camp perimeter have been made available.
