Friday, November 3, 2023

Somalia’s Rains Arrive, Crisis Persists

Date:

Samia, a tiny infant in Somalia, was brought to a UNICEF-supported medical centre in Bossaso with severe acute malnutrition. Her mother had traveled 350km over two days to get her child the proper medical attention. While Samia eventually recovered, hundreds of thousands of children across Somalia are suffering from similar conditions due to the worst drought in decades. The United Nations estimates that at least 43.3 million people across the Horn of Africa require life-sustaining assistance, including 8.25 million in Somalia. The current rainy season is faring better than expected, but as many as 1.8 million Somali children under the age of five could still face acute malnutrition through 2023. Climate change has locked the country in a spiral of droughts and floods, and the impact of recurring climatic shocks, widespread food insecurity, and reduced livelihood potential is being compounded by persistent conflict and community displacements. The international community must continue supporting the lifesaving response in the Horn of Africa to prevent another human catastrophe. UNICEF is urging more UN member states to step up to help the region, specifically in providing supplies of therapeutic foods and milk, as well as medicines, vaccines, and essential health services. Somalia also needs more predictable, long-term financing to help families adapt to the vagaries of climate change. UNICEF supports centres across the country with funding from the US Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, but increased donor support is desperately needed to continue carrying out lifesaving work.

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