OUR WORK

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

Guled* is 10 months old and lives with his family in a rural village in Puntland. His mother Aasha* is a pastoralist and the family have been hit by the effects of a long running drought. Aasha* explains that her village has been badly impacted by the drought and many people have left. A lack of clean water has led to many children getting sick. She brought baby Guled to her nearest Save the Children maternal health centre when he had diarrhoea and wasn’t eating. She didn’t have enough money to take him to hospital, so Save the Children provided transport to the nearest malnutrition stabilisation facility. When they arrived, both mother and baby were given food and Guked was given toys and blankets. Aasha says he has greatly improved with the help of the nurses. One of the nurses who treated Guled is 27 year old Fartoun*. She explained that the centre has seen an increase in children suffering malnutrition from drought affected areas. In Somalia, 1.2 million Children under five were estimated to be acutely malnourished by end of 2021 while 213,400 Children were projected to be severely malnourished. Aasha says she can now see a big difference in Guled from when he first arrived at the centre, to how he is now. Mustafa Saeed / 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