Our partners at World Vision have worked with communities, families, and children in Somalia since 1992. The country has been through consecutive seasons of failed rains with a devastating impact on poor, rural families who depend on farming and grazing for their food intake and family income.

Food security has deteriorated significantly across Somalia, with an increasing number of people facing acute food insecurity, and in need of emergency food assistance. The failed rains caused drought and have resulted in massive displacements of people from rural areas to IDP (internal displaced person) camps around the urban centers, especially in Luuq. Most households will rely on purchases from the market as their primary source of food.

Further deterioration is expected as food prices increase and labor wage rates decline. Social support is likely to be overstretched, and most poor households are likely to resort to crisis and distress coping strategies.

Currently, more than 300,000 children are acutely malnourished and at risk of death. Rapid routine nutrition status screening by use of MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) has been consistently carried out at both the health posts and at the MCHs to enable prompt detection of malnourished children and appropriate referral for nutrition care. There is evidence that early detection of malnutrition significantly contributes to improved treatment outcomes among beneficiaries.

Working with the support of our partners at World Vision Canada, we are responding with emergency and rehabilitative programming. Meeting the emergency nutritional needs of at-risk young children and pregnant women is a priority. Other priority areas are establishing interim health centers in refugee camps and developing and improving water sources in the current drought.