Call for EOIs: Nutrition Action for Vulnerable Communities (Somalia)

Deadline: 08-Sep-2026

The World Food Programme (WFP) is inviting proposals to support SO1 nutrition activities for vulnerable and food-insecure populations in Somalia, with implementation focused on Sanaag and Woqooyi Galbeed. The programme combines lifesaving nutrition assistance with resilience-building, self-reliance and diversified livelihood support, with particular attention to women, children and other vulnerable groups.

About the WFP SO1 Nutrition Programme

The World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking partners to implement nutrition activities under its SO1 programme in Somalia.

The initiative responds to Somalia’s prolonged nutrition and food-security crisis, which is driven by multiple and overlapping factors, including:

• Recurring droughts and other climate-related shocks.
• Conflict and insecurity.
• Population displacement.
• Disease outbreaks and health risks.
• Limited access to essential health, nutrition and WASH services.
• Declining humanitarian assistance and funding.

The programme uses an integrated, people-centred approach that connects immediate lifesaving nutrition assistance with longer-term resilience and self-reliance.

Geographic Focus

The proposed activities will be implemented in two regions of Somalia:

Projects should demonstrate an understanding of the local humanitarian, food-security and nutrition context in the targeted areas.

Why the Programme Matters

Somalia continues to face a severe and prolonged nutrition crisis.

According to the Somalia Country Strategic Plan 2026–2030, acute malnutrition affects approximately 1.9 million children aged 6–59 months, including around 500,000 children experiencing severe acute malnutrition.

Reduced humanitarian funding has also affected the availability of health, nutrition and WASH services. This increases risks for children and for pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls.

The WFP programme is therefore designed to address both immediate and longer-term needs.

It seeks to ensure that vulnerable populations can access lifesaving assistance while developing stronger capacity to anticipate, cope with and recover from recurring shocks.

Key Focus Areas

Proposals should address relevant areas of nutrition, food security and resilience, including:

• Nutrition and nutrition-sensitive programming.
• Infant and young child feeding.
• Prevention and treatment of malnutrition.
• Micronutrient interventions.
• Lifesaving food and nutrition assistance.
• Crisis response.
• Early action and shock preparedness.
• Resilience building.
• Self-reliance.
• Adequate nutrition.
• Diversified livelihoods.
• Protection.
• Accountability to affected populations.
• Equality and inclusion.
• Environmental sustainability.

Crisis Response and Nutrition Assistance

One of the central objectives is to improve access to timely lifesaving food and nutrition assistance for crisis-affected populations.

Supported interventions should help vulnerable people maintain adequate nutrition during emergencies and strengthen their ability to cope with shocks.

The crisis-response approach links immediate humanitarian assistance with measures that support recovery.

Expected Crisis Response Results

Activities should contribute to:

• Improved access to timely food and nutrition assistance.
• Better support for acutely food-insecure populations.
• Improved capacity to anticipate and cope with shocks.
• Stronger recovery mechanisms following crises.
• Better integration of nutrition with complementary humanitarian services.

Resilience Building and Self-Reliance

The programme also focuses on reducing long-term vulnerability.

Food-insecure and at-risk populations, particularly women, should be supported to improve their:

• Self-reliance.
• Access to adequate nutrition.
• Livelihood opportunities.
• Ability to diversify income and food sources.
• Capacity to withstand recurring climate and humanitarian shocks.

The objective is to create a transition from repeated emergency assistance toward greater household and community resilience.

Priority Vulnerable Groups

The programme is expected to prioritize people facing the greatest food-security and nutrition risks.

These may include:

• Malnourished children.
• Children aged 6–59 months.
• Pregnant women.
• Breastfeeding women and girls.
• Women in food-insecure households.
• Crisis-affected households.
• Displaced populations.
• Communities affected by climate shocks.
• Other underserved and nutritionally vulnerable groups.

Projects should apply an inclusive approach and ensure that vulnerable groups can safely access assistance.

Integrated Programme Approach

WFP expects nutrition activities to be implemented as part of a broader humanitarian and resilience framework.

Protection

Protection considerations should be integrated throughout programme delivery to ensure that beneficiaries can access assistance safely and without discrimination.

Accountability

Partners should maintain appropriate mechanisms that allow affected populations to provide feedback, raise concerns and report issues related to programme delivery.

Equality and Inclusion

Programme activities should consider the different needs of women, children and other vulnerable or underserved groups.

Environmental Sustainability

Environmental considerations should be incorporated into implementation where relevant, particularly when activities involve food systems, livelihoods, community resources or local infrastructure.

Who Is Eligible?

The opportunity is intended for organizations capable of implementing WFP-supported nutrition activities in the targeted regions of Somalia.

Potential applicants should demonstrate:

• Relevant experience in nutrition and humanitarian programming.
• Understanding of food insecurity and malnutrition in Somalia.
• Capacity to operate in Sanaag and/or Woqooyi Galbeed.
• Experience working with vulnerable and crisis-affected populations.
• Ability to deliver timely assistance.
• Appropriate protection and accountability systems.
• Capacity to monitor programme results.
• Strong community engagement mechanisms.
• Ability to coordinate with relevant stakeholders.

Applicants should ensure that their organizational capacity matches the scale and complexity of the proposed activities.

How the Programme Works

Selected partners are expected to implement activities that connect immediate nutrition support with longer-term resilience.

Step 1: Identify Vulnerable Populations

Partners should identify and prioritize populations experiencing severe food insecurity, malnutrition and other vulnerabilities.

Step 2: Deliver Nutrition Assistance

Partners should facilitate timely access to appropriate food and nutrition support for crisis-affected populations.

Step 3: Strengthen Nutrition Outcomes

Activities should support improved nutritional status and promote appropriate nutrition practices, including infant and young child feeding where relevant.

Step 4: Integrate Protection and Accountability

Protection, equality, accountability and safeguarding considerations should be incorporated throughout implementation.

Step 5: Support Resilience

Where appropriate, activities should connect vulnerable households with opportunities that improve self-reliance and resilience.

Step 6: Strengthen Livelihoods

The programme encourages approaches that support diversified livelihoods and reduce dependence on repeated emergency assistance.

Step 7: Monitor and Learn

Partners should monitor programme performance, beneficiary reach, quality and outcomes and use evidence and community feedback to improve implementation.

What Strong Proposals Should Demonstrate

A strong proposal should clearly explain:

• The nutrition and food-security problem being addressed.
• Why the targeted communities require intervention.
• How proposed activities will reach vulnerable populations.
• How nutrition assistance will be delivered in a timely manner.
• How women and other vulnerable groups will be included.
• How protection and accountability risks will be managed.
• How activities will contribute to resilience and self-reliance.
• How results will be measured.
• How the proposed approach complements other humanitarian services.

The proposal should establish a clear connection between identified needs, proposed activities, expected outputs and measurable outcomes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

• Using generic nutrition interventions without explaining the local context.
• Failing to identify priority vulnerable groups.
• Treating nutrition as separate from food security and resilience.
• Providing unclear implementation responsibilities.
• Ignoring protection and accountability requirements.
• Failing to explain how beneficiaries will access assistance.
• Using unrealistic targets or timelines.
• Providing weak monitoring and evaluation arrangements.
• Overlooking coordination with local stakeholders.
• Focusing exclusively on short-term assistance without explaining resilience pathways.

Tips for Preparing a Strong Application

Applicants can strengthen their proposals by:

• Using recent evidence to explain local nutrition needs.
• Clearly defining target populations and geographic coverage.
• Linking each activity to a specific expected result.
• Including practical delivery and contingency arrangements.
• Demonstrating previous experience in similar humanitarian contexts.
• Explaining how women and underserved groups will be reached.
• Integrating protection and accountability throughout the programme.
• Establishing measurable indicators.
• Showing how nutrition interventions connect with livelihoods and resilience.
• Demonstrating strong community engagement and coordination.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the WFP SO1 Nutrition opportunity in Somalia?

It is an opportunity to support the implementation of SO1 nutrition activities for vulnerable populations in Somalia, combining lifesaving nutrition assistance with resilience and self-reliance measures.

Where will the programme be implemented?

The activities will cover Sanaag and Woqooyi Galbeed in Somalia.

What are the main focus areas?

Key areas include nutrition, infant and young child feeding, malnutrition prevention and treatment, micronutrients, crisis response, resilience building, self-reliance and diversified livelihoods.

Who are the priority beneficiaries?

The programme prioritizes acutely food-insecure and malnourished populations, including vulnerable children, pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, women facing food insecurity and other crisis-affected groups.

Does the programme support only emergency nutrition assistance?

No. The programme combines timely lifesaving assistance with resilience-building and self-reliance pathways. It aims to help vulnerable populations anticipate, cope with and recover from recurring shocks.

What cross-cutting principles should applicants address?

Applicants should integrate protection, accountability, equality and environmental sustainability into programme implementation.

Why is resilience included in a nutrition programme?

Recurring climate shocks, conflict, displacement and food insecurity can repeatedly undermine nutrition outcomes. Linking nutrition assistance with self-reliance, diversified livelihoods and resilience can help vulnerable households better cope with future shocks.

Conclusion

The WFP SO1 Nutrition opportunity seeks to strengthen nutrition outcomes for vulnerable populations in Sanaag and Woqooyi Galbeed, Somalia, while addressing the underlying vulnerabilities that contribute to recurring food and nutrition crises.

Successful implementation will require an integrated approach that combines lifesaving nutrition assistance, malnutrition prevention and treatment, protection, accountability, equality, resilience building, self-reliance and diversified livelihoods. Organizations with strong local capacity, relevant nutrition expertise and experience working with vulnerable communities can use the opportunity to contribute to both immediate humanitarian response and longer-term resilience in Somalia.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.