OUR WORK

Children learn indoors at a displacement camp, in Bari region, Somalia Mustafa Saeed / Save the Children

Omar*, nine, is happiest when he rides a bicycle. “Once while riding, I saw a spider!”, Omar* exclaims. He doesn’t own his own bicycle, so he borrows his friend’s. Omar* was born in a camp in Somalia for people affected by drought and conflict in the country. Omar’s* little cousin Abshir* was recently taken to a local Save the Children supported hospital. Abshir* is nine months old and had Severe Acute Malnutrition (S.A.M). This was caused by a lack of food and nutrition. Hamdi*, Abshir’s* mother, says, “He was not even smiling; he was just lying down and had diarrhoea for almost six consecutive days.” Due to drought caused by climate change and a global shortage of grain due to the Ukraine crisis, food prices are soaring. This makes it difficult for families like Omar* and Abshir’s* to make ends meet. At the hospital, Abshir* was given lifesaving treatment. For Abshir* and many other children, the cure for S.A.M. is devastatingly simple: special milk formula and high-nutrient peanut paste. Within hours of taking this treatment, a child struggling against S.A.M. starts to feel their energy levels pick up. “He was unable to stand but now he can stand upright”, Hamdi explains, “When I see my child smiling and eating something I become excited.” After spending a week at the hospital, Abshir* returned home to be reunited with his cousin Omar*. “I felt happy this morning when I saw Abshir* brought home. I was so excited, he was playing again,” Omar says. Mustafa Saeed / Save the Children

Idil* with her son Dalmar*, 15 months old, as he's screened for malnutrition at the camp's health centre, using a MUAC band. Dalmar* was referred to the stabilisation centre by a Save the Children supported health centre in the IDP camp, after community health worker, Hafsa* screened him for malnutrition at the family’s home. He had diarrhoea and sickness, and was very underweight and malnourished. Dalmar* had to be fed therapeutic milk through a tube. The nurses give him anti-bacterial syrup for his stomach, and Resomal for hydration, and a doctor took a blood test. At the time of our visit, staff shared their concern that children in the stabilization centre seemed to be taking longer to recover than usual. Due to recent funding cuts, they had run out of the prepackaged F75 fortified milk. The cuts mean that the service as a whole is under threat. At the time of our visit, Save the Children was only able to provide funding for salaries and supplies on a month by month basis, with no certainty as to how long they can sustain them. Please see case studies for further details. Kate Stanworth/ Save the Children

Sufia* (24) grew up in a camp for displaced people in Somalia. When she was younger, her family was forced to leave their home due to a severe drought. They set up their home the camp and never went back. Life in the camp has been difficult for Sufia due to lack of access to healthcare, education, employment and water. After she married and had three children in the camp, Sufia’s husband often struggled to find regularly jobs, and this impacted on their ability to afford food for their children. Sufia eventually divorced her husband and moved to a different camp where she opened a small shop. The income from the shop was not enough to support her family, so Sufia applied for a business grant from Save the Children through our income generation programme, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). With the USD $680 grant, Sufia expanded the shop. The programme also provided Sufia with training in business management and basic maths, which helped ensure she knew which items would sell and which products to stock, and how to ensure she was keeping track of loans to customers. Sufia says the shop is now making a profit and she can feed her children, pay for their school fees and save some money in case she needs it for emergencies. In 2021, Somalia is facing yet another drought, which is pushing the number of children and adults who need critical support to 5.9 million – a third of the population and an increase of 700,000 people compared to 2020. In the communities where we work, Save the Children is seeing shallow wells drying up, families rationing their water, crops and pastures dying and people moving away from their communities in search of water and food for their livestock. Families who lose their livestock often move to towns or camps, like the one where Sufia lives, to access food and water. However, it’s difficult for them to find jobs to support their families. Alongside our humanitarian response where we’re delivering water to drought-stricken communities, treating malnourished children and providing cash assistance to families, we’re also working with local governments to build the long-term resilience of communities to cope with climate shocks. We’re also helping families like Sufia’s to find alternative sources of income so they can support themselves and survive the multiple crises they face. *Name changed to protect identity Sacha Myers / Save the Children

Southern areas of Somalia were hit by floods on May 17, 2023, which affected almost half a million people. Nearly 219,00 people, including 118,000 children, were displaced by the floods. Also, flood water damaged basic infrastructure, home, agricultural land and basic services facilities. Save the Children is responding by providing clean water and sanitation, medical support, and cash assistance for families to buy food and basic needs. Awale Koronto/ Save the Children

Salma* has 12 siblings, she lives with her parents and hopes to be a doctor when she is older. In an emotive open letter to world leaders, Somali children are calling for the international community to urgently ‘find a solution’ to the climate crisis as Somalia edges closer to famine. The letter signed by six children aged between 12 and 15, describe how they have been affected by the prolonged drought, the worst the region has faced in four decades, with a fifth failed rainy season increasingly likely. The children describe the impact that hunger is having on families in their local community, with some children unable to leave their homes, suffering with deadly diseases, as a result of malnutrition. These children are from schools in IDP camps, they are active members of their school's child rights clubs and have participated in Save the Children's Generation Hope campaign activities. The children's schools also receive support from Save the Children in the form of school materials, teacher training and classroom renovations. Awale Koronto