Country Description:

In 1981, CARE began delivering emergency relief to refugees in Somalia under a tripartite agreement signed with UNHCR and the Somali National Refugee Commission. In 1983, CARE Somalia signed the Basic Country Agreement with the Somali government and began development projects in the fields of reforestation, agriculture and refugee self-reliance. CARE's presence in Somalia continued until December 1990, when CARE expatriate staff were evacuated and operations suspended for four months due to civil strife. In 1991, CARE began its role as the principal food distributor in Somalia for the World Food Program (WFP) for people in Mogadishu. Despite the evacuation and port closure between November 1991 and May 1992, CARE was able to resume distribution of WFP food in Mogadishu and has expanded its operations into north and western Somalia and the breakaway republic of Somaliland. Complementing this are a number of CARE rehabilitation efforts, including health, education, agriculture and local NGO capacity building. CARE is also the first international agency in Somalia to support the military demobilization effort.