12 community facilitators, working with Juba Foundation, Trócaire and ACF on the Humanitarian Access Initiative (HAI) operate across six districts of southern Somalia: Wajid, Luuq, Dollow, Afmadow, Jamame and Kismayo.
Their number is expected to increase to 30 across 16 districts by the end of 2026. Local to each area, and selected for their energy, commitment, listening skills and ability to convene, HAI facilitators have brought vital knowledge into the aid sector, demonstrating the strength and resilience of communities and showing how residents of Somalia’s rural areas draw on extensive networks of local, private-sector and diaspora support to raise substantial funds and organise remarkable initiatives.
The facilitators are key players in the HAI effort to build bridges between two contrasting systems of humanitarian action: the internationally led aid system and the community system whose core decisions are led by community members and their institutions. This discussion note details the role and activities of HAI community facilitators. It responds to requests for a better understanding of our facilitation methodology, particularly among humanitarian agencies wanting to take up the idea.