In the heart of Galmudug State, Somalia, the dream of two young women, Iftin and Aminaa, to attend university in Abudwaq was fraught with challenges.

Frequent power cuts and a long, dark and possibly dangerous road between the campus and town made it nearly impossible for them and other girls to attend evening classes.

Determined to find a solution, they approached the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Co-Funding System (CFS), which provides matching funding for community-led projects and which is designed to empower local communities in Somalia to take charge of their development and recovery.

Rallying 19 other women students, Iftin and Aminaa submitted a simple yet transformative proposal….. to crowdfund for solar streetlights and a solar energy system for the school.

By July 2022, the girls had raised $10,000. IOM matched this amount and added $50,000 more.

The result was a well-lit and secure road from Abudwaq town to the university and a fully functional solar energy system.

The system now powers the university around the clock with clean energy.

The impact didn’t stop there.

The community later decided to connect a nearby borehole to the system, providing clean, free water to all of Abudwaq and nearby pastoralist communities, who now bring their livestock to drink and graze near the water source.

“Abudwaq was not one of our original target locations,” explained Mohamed Mohamud Hussein, an IOM officer working on community-based planning. “But we considered the proposal because it was well thought out, transformational for the community, and aligned with the CFS’s mandate and priorities around ownership and sustainability.”

Iftin and Aminaa’s determination set an example for other communities across Somalia.

Community power

Piloted by IOM in 2021, the CFS has become one of Somalia’s most innovative recovery tools. It puts power in the hands of local communities.

By the end of 2024, 42 projects had been completed, reaching over 580,000 people across 22 districts in central Somalia.

Nine more are ongoing. Close to 1,600 community and diaspora members contributed, raising over $500,000, which IOM matched with $2.3 million.

Even in fragile settings, collective action is making a difference. In Farjano, a settlement for internally displaced persons in Galmudug State, the construction of a new primary school did more than provide classrooms. It has restored hope.

“For the very first time, all my children could go to school – and it was free,” said Shamso, a mother of three.

In Mataban, a newly built youth stadium fostered unity and a sense of shared identity. Groups that had once avoided each other began to spend time together. “The stadium brought us together in ways we never imagined,” said Mustaf, a resident of Mataban. “It’s not just for sports – it’s where our community feels united.”

By requiring communities to identify their needs and raise initial funds, the CFS takes a bottom-up rather than traditional top-down approach to development.

It ensures that projects are not only community-driven but also have a higher chance of long-term success and impact

The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) which begins in Sevilla, Spain on 30 June, aims to reform financing at all levels, and will no doubt consider the local solutions and community-driven initiatives which have proven so successful in Somalia.