All these programmes are further underpinned by our important cross-cutting work in gender equity and women’s empowerment and by our continuing investment in organisational strengthening – from staff training and financial management systems to digital transformation and cost-effective procurement.

None of our eight programmes operates in isolation – joined-up thinking and a joined-up approach to programme delivery are vital for success. Implementing programmes in an integrated way is simple common sense.

There can be no hope of survival for the Somali people without good healthcare and clean water, and the stability and security families crave will remain elusive without peacebuilding. There is no route out of poverty without education and sustainable livelihoods. The most vulnerable need comprehensive support to meet all their basic needs and realise their full potential.

In taking practical action to empower women and girls in all our programmes, we are investing in those who often need our support the most and yet are also a source of enormous strength and potential for building resilient communities.

It is women who are most likely to miss out on education, most likely to die prematurely because of inadequate healthcare, most reliant on subsistence farming for their livelihoods, most responsible for finding and fetching water, most likely to be displaced and left caring for children on their own because of conflict and climate change. It is little wonder that the Somalia Women’s Charter describes women as “a bedrock of our society” and Zamzam Foundation sees women and girls as primary drivers of the country’s future success.