Millions of Somali children at risk of dying from starvation without immediate emergency support, warns World Vision 

• Seven million on the brink of starvation

• Worst drought in 40 years 

• No rain likely for fifth year consecutively  

Hunger and drought in Somalia is destroying livelihoods and has forced more than 800,000 people to flee their homes, with more than seven million people facing severe food insecurity, according to international aid agency, World Vision.  

Forecasts indicate that the crisis is set to worsen over the coming months, with a record fifth failed rainy season likely across the country.  It is Somalia’s worst drought in 40 years with more than 200,000 people one step away from famine-like conditions. An estimated 1.5 million Somali children under the age of five years are at risk of acute malnutrition by the end of the year. 

“I’ve met many children and their families who have walked for days in the hope of reaching areas where they can access food to feed their hungry children. Most mothers we meet at our nutrition clinics have at least one child who is malnourished. Some of their children died before they could reach help.” World Vision Somalia acting national director, Tobias Oloo, said. 

The child-focused organisation said that millions of Somali households are struggling to cope with rising food prices, while drought has decimated crops and livestock, weakening people’s purchasing power. At the same time, displaced children are dropping out of school to migrate or work in order to earn their next meal. 

15-year-old Suldana receives US$ 70 cents a day for doing housework. “I wash dishes and do other light chores… I do this every day, all day because I have to bring food to my family. Sometimes it is hard to get customers. Some of the customers are bad people. They mistreat you, especially when you are a girl,” she said. 

World Vision fears that conflict in Ukraine has distracted global attention from a hunger crisis that has been accelerating across the Horn of Africa for months. Somalia’s humanitarian appeal remains significantly under-funded; only 42 per cent of the funds required to meet Somalia’s humanitarian needs have been provided.  

“We know from experience that vulnerable children suffer the most in crisis situations. In the 2011 Somalia famine, half of the 250,000 people who died were children under five years of age. We are calling on the international community to immediately prioritise the lives of millions of children and their families who could risk of dying from starvation. The time to act is now,” said Mr Oloo.   

ENDS 

Notes to Editor 

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organisation dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice.   

World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.  For more information, please visit www.wvi.org or follow us on Twitter @WorldVision    

World Vision is in Somalia providing food, cash, nutrition and water assistance and child protection to families affected by drought and hunger. To date, our emergency response has reached over a million people, including half a million children.  

For further information or to organise an interview, please contact: 

• Lucy Murunga, Senior Communications Manager, World Vision Somalia Country Programme - Lucy_Murunga@wvi.org, +254 721 484 112