Per the US Government’s Integrated Country Strategy, the long-term desired end state for Somalia is “a unified, peaceful, and democratic Somalia with a stable and representative government able to degrade and defeat al-Shabaab (aS); prevent terrorists and pirates from using its territory as a safe haven; provide for its own internal defense; and facilitate and foster development, growth, and political inclusion, while progressing towards long-term stability and prosperity.” Working to support this overall vision, the USAID Transition Initiatives for Stabilization Plus (TIS+) Program has supported stabilization priorities nation-wide since May 2015, building on the previous TIS Project’s successes beginning in 2011. As part of this overarching goal, the USAID TIS+ Program also aims to boost stability in Somalia by decreasing the conditions that allow al-Shabaab (aS) to thrive.

p>The overall approach and goals set by the USAID TIS+ program is to: Reduce the conditions that allow aS to thrive. The program will achieve this goal through implementing activities via the following four outlined objectives:

• Increasing confidence in the Somalian government based on equitable participation in decision-making and in the management of community assets.
• Empowering the community and government representatives to engage with the private sector and development actors in collaborative processes aimed at enhancing community growth.
• Increasing Somali engagement in creating a more stable future.
• Supporting inclusive, sustainable development by reducing gender gaps in stabilization and development.

In the final year of the TIS+ Program, TIS+ is specifically focused on the outlined sub-objectives:

• Increasing social and political inclusion of marginalized groups.
• Expanding government presence in areas vulnerable to aS.
• Increasing the community’s ability to mediate conflict.

Some of the main activities of the objectives are supporting inclusion through ensuring groups perceived as marginalized are given a voice in community decision-making. This is done by facilitating community consensus processes with government leaders and community members to identify community needs and priorities. Lastly, TIS+ develops activities that allow community members from different clans to work together in the recovery of their community through formation of peace committees, dialogue events, mediation training, and other peacebuilding events.

As part of USAID TIS+ Goals and approach, TIS+ has identified the needs of communities in target areas through community-led processes which include dialogues, consensus building sessions, and other consultative processes. Through this model, achievements to date include:

• Enabling participation of over 52,000 Somalis in events, trainings, or activities.
• Bringing together 2,321 citizens with their government or other community members in TIS+ supported dialogues.
• Improving 36.6 KM of road.
• Rehabilitating 15 district administration buildings.
• Mobilizing $3,003,189.24 of community in-kind contributions as part of its infrastructure grants.
• Holding 21 Community Consensus-building sessions.