From Canada to Somaliland: Communities Standing Together in Drought
15 April 2023 · Toronto, Canada
Fundraising activities in Canada: Ali Awale, Executive Director of PSDO, at a community engagement event in Toronto, Canada, 15 April 2023. Photo: Abdifatah Ali
Far from the dry plains of Somaliland, a quieter kind of drought response happens in community halls, classrooms and mosques across Canada. Here, PSDO’s team works side by side with the Somali community to raise the support that helps families back home through the hardest seasons.
Rooted in the diaspora
Pillar Social Development Organization (PSDO) was established in 2010 by members of the Somali diaspora in Canada together with local representatives and staff. That connection has never weakened. Many in the community have relatives in rural villages where repeated failed rains have dried up water points, cut away pasture and forced families to sell the livestock they depend on. When drought strikes at home, it is felt in households in Toronto and beyond.
Turning concern into action
PSDO’s team in Canada, led by Executive Director Ali Awale, works to turn that shared concern into practical help. Team members take part in community gatherings, meet families and community leaders, and speak with neighbours about conditions in the villages where PSDO works. They explain what the drought has meant for families, and how cash assistance, water and land rehabilitation and community training can help them recover.
Young people and elders take part side by side. For younger members of the community, many of whom were born or raised in Canada, these events are a chance to learn about the places their families come from and to play a part in their future. For elders, they are a way to keep long-standing bonds of care alive across generations and across oceans.
These conversations are about more than raising funds. They are about listening, building trust and keeping the community informed. Supporters want to know where their contributions go and what difference they make, and PSDO is committed to answering those questions openly and to reporting back on the results.
Fundraising activities in Canada: a community information session. Photo: Abdifatah Ali
Advocating for those at home
Alongside fundraising, the team advocates for humanitarian assistance for drought-affected communities in Somaliland. By sharing first-hand information from the field, the team helps make sure the needs of rural families, especially women, children and older people, are heard and understood.
The charitable contributions mobilized through this work have helped PSDO support families in Somaliland through drought response and recovery projects, from cash transfers that protect household food and water needs to the rehabilitation of berkads and the building of soil bunds that protect farmland.
Fundraising activities in Canada: community members gathered together. Photo: Abdifatah Ali
One community, two countries
What makes this work possible is the generosity and solidarity of ordinary people. Every gathering and every gift is a reminder that distance does not divide a community. Families in Canada and families in Somaliland are bound by the same values: caring for one another, and refusing to let neighbours face hardship alone.
Join us
The droughts are not over, and the needs remain great. PSDO invites individuals, families, businesses, community organizations and philanthropic partners to stand with us. Your support, large or small, helps communities in Somaliland recover and build resilience for the seasons ahead.
To support PSDO’s work or partner with us, please get in touch.