As we announced on page 2 of yesterday’s edition , Tuesday, August 27, 2013 , we were in this article on the launch meeting of the ADDS Dikhil last Monday , his  » employment program and foundation human capital  » It is activities within the framework of social safety nets implemented by the agency in its extensive program of fight against poverty. ADDS will mobilize men and women around work intensive labor and prevent malnutrition.

ADDS , the military arm of the government in its fight against poverty and its horrors , tirelessly puts out a series of social projects for the most vulnerable segments of the population of Djibouti . For, despite a relatively high growth rate , the country sees poverty persist .

Last Monday Dikhil , the State Secretariat for National Solidarity and the Ministry of Health, respectively represented by the Director General of the ADDS Mahdi Mohamed Djama and Secretary General Abdullah Ali Silay , launched a program called  » job and human capital.  »

It is to intensify the fight against maternal and child malnutrition , bringing to the most vulnerable population for food assistance and care appropriate layers.

The second component of the program is to initiate work intensive labor which the largest number of men and women of working age are invited to participate through food rations .

More than dependence , it is to allow people to earn their living by working for the public interest in the work as road maintenance , street cleaning , garbage pick-up , maintenance wooded areas and pastures.

It is therefore a social program may absorb adverse economic and social consequences of the crisis beyond our borders. .

In other words, a program consistent with the strategic directions of government policy in the fight against social exclusion and employability of young people and the welfare of the most vulnerable households.

« This is a commendable initiative because there is not , in my opinion, more noble than helping people to earn their bread by working action, » said the prefect immediately Dikhil Mohamed Hassan Cheikho .

For his part, the Director General of the ADDS , recalled that the objective of this program , he has said,  » for the prevention of maternal and child malnutrition and implementation of works and services intensive labor, in order to contribute to improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable  » households.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Health has commended the efforts undertaken in the framework of this program, welcomed the positive results already achieved in rural and urban centers such as Balbala Damerjog , Douda and Adaylou .

As the President of the Regional Council , he hoped that this project will enhance the purchasing power of families in need and reduce the vulnerability of children, pregnant and lactating women as well as the most vulnerable segments of the population dikhiloise .

Finally, the project director of ADDS , Mouna Ahmed Farah, has emphasized the importance of this program while urging the local community to actively participate through information , awareness , targeting and save the neediest people may benefit from this social assistance , especially households with pregnant or lactating women and women with children 0-5 years.

According to the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, the nutritional status of children and women in the region is worrying Dikhil from the SMART 2011 survey, which states that  » an infant of 5 are underweight at birth and suffer from stunted growth, while more than half of pregnant women suffer from anemia .  »

Hence the urgency of this preventive program in order to improve this situation. In addition to this day , the Director of the ADDS held a meeting with members of the Management Committee of the Community Development Fund (CDF) .

It is a committee of fourteen members representing the dikhiloise community whose mission is to oversee the implementation of community projects in the region Dikhil through local organizations with funding from the African Development Bank .

During this meeting , it was mainly a question of approaches, methods of presentation and selection of projects and the roles and responsibilities of the various bodies involved .

The President of the Regional Council of Dikhil ABDOURAHMAN Yonis

I commend the President of the Republic, Madam Secretary of State for National Solidarity and the Minister of Health for the implementation of this project directly addresses the needs of the poorest populations.

The activities to be undertaken through this program will provide valuable assistance to low-income households that were experiencing food insecurity.

Food assistance will undoubtedly beneficiaries of women to take care of the nutritional and better meet the nutritional needs of their children, and eliminate the risks associated with child malnutrition causing many deaths .

I greet all the initiators of this program to support needy families . This proves that our government cares spells of the most disadvantaged populations.

I hope this will help to reduce poverty in our region and I extend my warmest to the Head of State and his government thanks, development partners and finally, the ADDS.