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Our latest Policy Briefing Paper on COVID-19, UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE SOMALI COMMUNITY has explored and assessed whether existing government support is reaching the Somali Community at a grassroots level. We also assessed any gaps and unmet support needs that have yet to receive, through government support and attention. We recommend urgent action is taken by UK government to support the community through this difficult time. This is essential to fulfil the governments promise to level up and build back better.

In the year since COVID-19 emerged, it has in some way impacted almost everyone across the world. However, it has become clear that those who started the pandemic with a disadvantage in terms of health, poverty, disability, ethnicity, or gender are suffering its impacts disproportionately. This policy briefing explores the impact of Covid policies on women from the UK’s Horn of Africa communities.

This new report has shown Somalia is facing a multitude of challenges as Covid-19 spreads in Africa and continues to ravage the UK, causing rising unemployment in the Somali community and a collapse in the money they are sending back home.

This policy briefing is written by the Anti-Tribalism Movement endorsed by 27 Somali charities across the UK. The policy briefing sets out the main challenges the community is facing in relation to housing, health, income, education and technology, culture, and community infrastructure.

In response to the government’s call for evidence to review ethnic disparities and inequalities, we submitted this response and opted to answer all of the questions with cited references.