UNDP, in partnership with the Government of Djibouti, launched a campaign called "Rising Djibouti" to help the men and women of Djibouti overcome COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild better the future. The campaign is a tool to raise awareness and mobilize resources to help affected populations.

COVID-19 has affected many populations that have slowed down their activities or it has completely stopped. Some of them have been hard hit and need help and assistance to restart their lives.They need a help to overcome their losses or a life-saving gesture that will enable them to face the shock.  

The coronavirus crisis is not only a health crisis, it is also an economic crisis. Many sectors are affected such as tourism, hotels, restaurants, transport, small businesses etc.. A large number of people who used to earn their income from the informal sector have been affected. The confinement that lasted almost two months put a severe strain on their livelihoods.  As a result, entire households fell into precariousness and need. Therefore, they urgently need help to restart their activities. In order to respond to this alarming situation, the government has drawn up the National Solidarity Pact (PNS) aimed at mitigating the effects of this economic crisis.  As the UN agency that is the technical lead for socio-economic impact assessment and recovery, UNDP is supporting the Government of Djibouti's SNP to lead the socio-economic response to the pandemic and advance sustainable development. 

As part of a global call for solidarity, UNDP Djibouti launched a participatory fundraising campaign entitled "Rising Djibouti" on 20 May to help men and women in Djibouti overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign aims to mobilize resources and allocate micro-grants to 30,000 disadvantaged households in order to recover. Moreover, it will also finance stimulus packages for 15,000 micro-entrepreneurs to boost the local economy. It is also planned to distribute equipment and production materials to 20,000 self-employed workers to ensure the sustainability of their business. Finally, micro-grants will be offered to 100 local associations to support their communities.  The goal of this campaign is not only to mobilize financial resources, but also particular attention and awareness on the national and international communities. It promotes solidarity and unity in Djibouti. UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Gaêl Ollivier said that, "the main objective of the campaign is to find funding to implement the National Solidarity Pact adopted by the Government of Djibouti to deal with the pandemic. UNDP is focusing on the economic and social response."

Saada one of the beneficial from this camapaign who has been working with her sewing machine for 20 years said that "thanks to this activity she was able to take care of her family". Faced with the coronavirus pandemic, she was forced to confine herself to her home like many others who had similar jobs. Today, Saada is unemployed and without income. There are many people like this brave mother to fall victim of the effects of the health crisis.  They cannot be precisely counted, but UNDP is committed to helping them through this fundraising campaign. It should be recalled that in recent years Djibouti has recorded strong and stable economic growth. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens this positive trend and could even reduce some hard-won achievements.

This pandemic, and the confinement that followed, abruptly froze government revenues and increased public spending to care for the population. Its effect on Djibouti's economy disproportionately affected small businesses and the informal sector, which account for more than 70 per cent of all jobs. This economic tsunami risks sending the most vulnerable population back into poverty and disrupting social cohesion.

Generous donors who are interested in contributing to this outpouring of solidarity are welcome.