Provide Lifesaving Relief to Drought Victims

“We eat only once a day,” Nalow, a 30-year-old wife and mother said, with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Our lives depend on whatever our neighbors give us.” 

Nalow and her family fled from Tiyeeglow in Somalia in October 2016 after a militant group took control of the area. They now live in Domey displacement camp in Beledweyne, in south-central Somalia. According to the local authorities, some 18,500 people live in makeshift shelters in the displacement camps around Beledweyne, where malnutrition is widespread and diseases, like acute watery diarrhea, are rampant. 

When Mohamed from our Emergency Response team met Nalow, she explained she had already lost two children. Aged six and four, her children succumbed to acute watery diarrhea. Now she was on the brink of losing a third – her youngest, 15-month-old Ahmed, who was seriously ill, while Nalow and her husband, Abdi, had no money to pay for medical care. 

As illustrated by the journey of Nalow and her family, the humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to worsen with more than 6.7 million people – over half of the population – in need of humanitarian assistance such as food, medical attention and protection. Moreover, communicable diseases, like acute watery diarrhea, have the potential to exacerbate already dangerous malnutrition conditions. As a result of the current drought caused by several seasons of limited rain, more than 6.2 million people face acute food insecurity and some 680,000 people have been displaced. 

For Nalow and her family, receiving humanitarian assistance is not a luxury, but a necessity. Mohamed and our Emergency Response team arranged for Ahmed, Nalow’s son, to receive care at a nearby hospital. While his future, like that of so many Somalis, remains uncertain, Ahmed will receive the care he needs to survive today. 

We thank the GlobalGiving community for your continued support as we address the health and nutrition needs of drought-affected Somalis.