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Global Health Organization: World Food Program

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Global Health Organization: World Food Program

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To prevent and treat malnutrition, WFP distributes specially fortified foods and seasonal nutritional assistance to people in Somalia. They also provide HIV/Tuberculosis patients' and their families with monthly food baskets to enhance nutritional intake and help medication work more efficiently.

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After a gradual recovery from the food insecurity and famine of 2011, Somalia's food security is once again under threat. The situation is worsening in rural areas following consecutive seasons of poor rainfall and low river water levels. These have resulted in near total crop failures, reduced rural employment opportunities, widespread shortage of water and pasture - with consequent increases in livestock deaths. As local staple food prices continue to rise sharply and livestock prices decrease significantly, access to food is rapidly diminishing among poor families.

As of August 2022, 7.1 million people cannot meet their daily food requirements today and require urgent humanitarian assistance, with more than 200,000 facing catastrophic hunger. An estimated 1.5 million children under 5 suffer from acute malnutrition, of which 386,000 face a high risk of disease and death.

WFP works in Somalia to address basic food needs, strengthen coping mechanisms and support efforts to achieve food security. We reached 5.3 million vulnerable people in 2021, via all programmes ranging from emergency relief to activities designed to build resilience to future disasters, such as floods and drought. WFP provides assistance using a combination of cash transfers and food rations, as well as supporting communities to create assets that will strengthen their livelihoods and ability to withstand crises.

Supporting longer-term resilience in Somalia, WFP also works with other UN agencies - the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UNICEF - on a joint strategy designed to enhance families' access to income, improve health, nutrition, education, safety and skills, and provide assistance during times of need.

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After a gradual recovery from the food insecurity and famine of 2011, Somalia's food security is once again under threat. The situation is worsening in rural areas following consecutive seasons of poor rainfall and low river water levels. These have resulted in near total crop

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Global Health Organization: Action Against Hunger

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Global Health Organization: Action Against Hunger

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This organization provides people in Somalia with clean water, hygiene products, cash transfers, cholera treatment centers, vaccinations, water trucking, and agricultural innovations.

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Close Alert

Somalia

Population: 16.8 million

People in Need: 7.7 million

Our Impact

People Helped Last Year: 490,238

Our Team: 85 employees

Program Start: 1992

The State of Hunger in Somalia

Gripped by the worst drought in 40 years, chronic food shortages, and more than 20 years of conflict, Somalia is on the brink of famine as more than six million people face acute food insecurity.

Prolonged drought has killed one-third of the country's livestock and food prices have skyrocketed. More than one million people have been forced to flee their homes. Without sufficient access to clean water and nutritious food, severe malnutrition and disease will continue to rise.

How We're Helping in Somalia

Action Against Hunger's teams address the immediate and underlying causes of malnutrition. We improve access to clean water, carry out measles vaccination campaigns, run cholera treatment centers, and provide supplies and education to promote hygiene. Our teams are also helping families who face drought and hunger with cash transfers, water trucking, and agricultural innovations such as solar irrigation kits.

Donate Now

People Reached By Nutrition & Health Programs

People Benefited From Food Security & Livelihoods Programs

Covid-19: Building Local Capacity

When COVID-19 arrived, we quickly sprung to action to support the government in controlling the pandemic. As private hospitals shut down due to fears of the virus, our teams stepped up our support of health centers, treatment facilities, and isolation wards.

In De Martini Hospital - which was, for many months, the only operational quarantine hospital in Mogadishu - we provided PPE and medical supplies. We also supported frontline health staff with training and salaries.

KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION

Join our community of supporters passionate about ending world hunger.

Somalia

Population: 16.8 million

People in Need: 7.7 million

Our Impact

People Helped Last Year: 490,238

Our Team: 85 employees

Program Start: 1992

The State of Hunger in Somalia

Gripped by the worst drought in 40 years, chronic food shortages, and more than 20 years of conflict, Somalia is on the brink of famine as more than six million people face acute food insecurity.

Prolonged drought has killed one-third of the country's livestock and food prices have skyrocketed. More than one million people have been forced to flee their homes. Without sufficient access to clean water and nutritious food, severe malnutrition and disease will continue to rise.

How We're Helping in Somalia

Action Against Hunger's teams address the immediate and underlying causes of malnutrition. We improve access to clean water, carry out measles vaccination campaigns, run cholera treatment centers, and provide supplies and education to promote hygiene. Our teams are also helping families who face drought and hunger with cash transfers, water trucking, and agricultural innovations such as solar irrigation kits.

Donate Now

People Reached By Nutrition & Health Programs

People Benefited From Food Security & Livelihoods Programs

Covid-19: Building Local Capacity

When COVID-19 arrived, we quickly sprung to action to support the government in controlling the pandemic. As private hospitals shut down due to fears of the virus, our teams stepped up our support of health centers, treatment facilities, and isolation wards.

In De Martini Hospital - which was, for many months, the only operational quarantine hospital in Mogadishu - we provided PPE and medical supplies. We also supported frontline health staff with training and salaries.

KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION

Join our community of supporters passionate about ending world hunger.

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Somalia - Hunger Relief in Africa | Action Against Hunger

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Close Alert Somalia Population: 16.8 million People in Need: 7.7 million Our Impact People Helped Last Year: 490,238 Our Team: 85 employees Program Start: 1992 Gripped by the worst drought in 40 years, chronic food shortages, and more than 20 years of conflict, Somalia is on the brink of famine as more than six million people face acute food insecurity.

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This article from Dec. 2022 discusses how a famine has not been officially declared, but very well could be in the near future as hundreds of thousands are starving and even dying.

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In an update on food insecurity in Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA) said that famine had been avoided because host communities and relief teams had helped those in most need.

Despite their efforts, food insecurity remains "catastrophic", OCHA said, based on the latest IPC report, which classifies levels of severity from one to five, with five representing a state of "catastrophe/famine".

Worse still, needs between now and next June are expected to rise more than threefold, from 214,000 people, to 727,000, as drought, violence and displacement continue to threaten people's lives and livelihoods.

Parents bury their children

From the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, spokesperson James Elder said that youngsters and the most vulnerable were already dying from hunger-related illness.

"Fatality numbers are difficult. I have anecdotally, sat with women who have showed me mounds next to their tents in a displacement camp where they have buried their two and three-year-olds ", he said.

"I have sat with women who made a decision who they left behind...There is no doubt that large numbers of children have died."

The UN system in Somalia highlighted the efforts of national and local authorities, in helping the scale up of humanitarian assistance to respond to the impact of the longest and most severe drought in Somalia's recent history.

But aid must be sustained over time and improved, as famine is a strong possibility from April to June next year, and beyond, if assistance is not sustained and if the April to June rains fail again, as current forecasts indicate.

"The collective scale-up of humanitarian assistance, including Somali capacities, has prevented food insecurity and acute malnutrition from reaching Famine (IPC Phase 5). As of October, humanitarian partners have reached about 6.8 million people with life-saving assistance," said Adam Abdelmoula, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

Still 'extremely alarming'

"Even without a famine declaration, the situation is extremely alarming," he added.

"The scale and severity of the emergency are expanding as displacement continues unabated, food and water prices remain high, critical gaps in the response persist, and as the current rains have been poor and insufficient for replenishing water sources and sustaining grazing fields for livestock."

The number of people affected by the drought in Somalia has more than doubled this year, from 3.2 million in January to 7.8 million in October, with the severity of needs increasing in proportion.

Displacement mirrors drought

Displacement caused by drought increased more than fivefold to almost 1.3 million people in the same period, the UN in Somalia said.

The 2022 Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which seeks $2.27 billion to meet the needs of 7.6 million people has a shortfall of over $1 billion as of 13 December.

"We thank donors for their generosity to date and appeal for immediate additional and flexible funding to enable a further scale-up and improvement of humanitarian operations," said Mr. Abdelmoula. "Together we have averted famine, albeit temporarily. We can and must make sure that this becomes a sustained reality for the people of Somalia."

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Somalia: Famine narrowly averted - so far, warn UN humanitarians

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In an update on food insecurity in Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA) said that famine had been avoided because host communities and relief teams had helped those in most need.

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This article touches on child malnourishment, drought and famine, and the climate crisis that is casting deadly effects on Somalia's people.

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Somalia battles hunger as it braces for famine during a prolonged drought

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International aid groups are warning of a catastrophic food crisis, as Somalia faces what could be its worst drought in 40 years. Nearly 2 million children are suffering from malnutrition.

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Video: Mothers struggling to feed their children 

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Video: Mothers struggling to feed their children 

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This video discusses how mothers and families are struggling to feed their children, including infants, due to the drought in Somalia.

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Mothers in Somalia fight drought and famine to feed their children

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Video: Life in Somalia during drought and famine

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Video: Life in Somalia during drought and famine

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This video shows firsthand what life in Somalia looks like for people during drought, crop failure, and conflict.

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Somalia on brink of catastrophic famine after worst drought in decades - BBC News

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This article shows the devastating effects Somalia is facing during the worst drought they have experienced in the last 40 years.

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Devastating drought and famine in Somalia | DW Documentary

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Peer Reviewed Article: Famine in Somalia

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Peer Reviewed Article: Famine in Somalia

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This article highlights some important statistics about hunger, food insecurity, and malnourishment currently in Somalia while also predicting some outcomes for Somalia in 2023 regarding famine and extreme hunger.

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About this item: 20.500.12592/g2g6rp

16 August 2022

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Summary

In Somalia, 26 million people are expected to experience extreme hunger by February 2023, threatening hundreds of thousands of lives. Nearly half of Somalia's population of 7.1 million people already face acute food insecurity. In the first six months of 2022, the number of children receiving treatment for malnutrition surged 300 percent. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission to Somalia, malnutrition rates are among the highest in the world. A persistent drought, internal violence, economic instability, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have contributed to the growing food crisis. Not only does food insecurity threaten fundamental human rights and longevity, but it also poses challenges to political stability and increases the risk of terrorism. In the short term, swift action is necessary to avert the imminent humanitarian catastrophe and the political stability of the Horn of Africa. In the long term, the United States and its partners should support agricultural investment, import diversification, and anti-corruption efforts in the region to mitigate the consequences of future climate disasters and Somalia's crisis of ineffective governance.

Creators/Authors

Rayna Alexander
Rayna Alexander is a research intern in the Africa Program at FPRI. She is an undergraduate studying political science, geography, and international affairs at the Pennsylvania State University.

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Food Insecurity and Terrorism: What Famine Means for Somalia

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About this item: 20.500.12592/g2g6rp 16 August 2022 View Share Cite Add to list Summary In Somalia, 26 million people are expected to experience extreme hunger by February 2023, threatening hundreds of thousands of lives. Nearly half of Somalia's population of 7.1 million people already face acute food insecurity.

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Peer Reviewed Article: Comparing droughts and famine in Somalia and Ethiopia

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Peer Reviewed Article: Comparing droughts and famine in Somalia and Ethiopia

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CHAPTER 4
This chapter of the book discusses the differences between droughts and Somalia and Ethiopia, and how Ethiopia avoided a famine while Somalia could not.

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Under what circumstances might climate change lead to negative security outcomes? Over the past fifteen years, a rapidly growing applied field and research community on climate security has emerged. While much progress has been made, we still don’t have a clear understanding of why climate change mi…

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Peer Reviewed Article: Drought and Poverty in Somalia 

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Peer Reviewed Article: Drought and Poverty in Somalia 

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This article focuses on how a drought in 2016/17 impacted poverty, hunger, and consumption in Somalia.

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23 Pages Posted: 11 Jan 2019 Last revised: 12 Jan 2019

Date Written: January 10, 2019

Abstract

Understanding the magnitude and importance of income shocks, such as drought or conflict, in causing and perpetuating poverty is critical to designing policies aimed at building resilience and contributing toward the goal of ending poverty. This paper uses micro-data from two waves of the Somali High Frequency Survey to assess the impact of the severe drought that Somalia experienced in 2016/17 on poverty, hunger, and consumption. The analysis uses a regression framework to quantify the effects of the drought, relying on spatial variation in drought exposure and the timing of data collection, which took place before and during the drought, for identification. The drought is found to have a sizable effect on poverty, consumption, and hunger in rural areas, where agricultural households and those lacking access to infrastructure and basic services are most severely affected. A renewed drought shock could lead to an increase in poverty of 9 percentage points. The findings underscore the importance of investing in rural resilience, especially among agricultural households.

Keywords: Natural Disasters, Inequality, Food Security, Nutrition, Gender and Development, Environmental Engineering, Health and Sanitation, Water and Human Health, Small Private Water Supply Providers, Water Supply and Sanitation Economics, Town Water Supply and Sanitation, Sanitation and Sewerage, Engineering, Sanitary Environmental Engineering

Pape, Utz Johann and Wollburg, Philip Randolph, Impact of Drought on Poverty in Somalia (January 10, 2019). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8698, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3313863

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23 Pages Posted: 11 Jan 2019 Last revised: 12 Jan 2019 Date Written: January 10, 2019 Understanding the magnitude and importance of income shocks, such as drought or conflict, in causing and perpetuating poverty is critical to designing policies aimed at building resilience and contributing toward the goal of ending poverty.