Somalia | Action Against Hunger WHY HUNGER? OUR IMPACT GET INVOLVED Sitewide Search Sitewide search, click to expand DONATE NOW Responsive nav SOMALIA Somalia is experiencing a prolonged and complex crisis characterised by conflict, displacement, drought and disease. Ongoing conflict, together with the devastating effects of Covid-19, drought, floods and locust infestation, have left many communities in Somalia even more vulnerable. Malnutrition rates are high particularly among children, with almost one million children under five suffering from life-threatening hunger. The influx of people from rural regions to urban areas also puts a strain on already limited resources – 893,000 people were forced to flee their homes in 2020 because of flooding and conflict. COUNTRY FACTS 1,435,789 Action Against Hunger's programmes reached almost 1.5 million people in 2020. 15.4M Somalia has a population of more than 15 million people. 1M One million Somalian children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition – the most life-threatening form of hunger. Our projects in Somalia Action Against Hunger’s work in Somalia focus on treating women and children for malnutrition and providing clean water and sanitation. In 2020, our programmes in Somalia included: reaching over 500,000 people through our nutrition programmes treating children and pregnant and breastfeeding women for malnutrition supporting vulnerable families with cash transfers, allowing them buy food and essential services during severe droughts distributing essential hygiene kits through our water, sanitation and hygiene programmes raising awareness of Covid-19 by text message and on the radio adapting our nutrition programmes so they can be held virtually Treating the early signs of malnutrition After being admitted with malnutrition to an Action Against Hunger health centre in Mogadishu, Somalia, two-year-old Mohamed was able to go home after just ten days. READ MOHAMED'S STORY Meet Halima When 20-month-old Halima was admitted to one of our treatment centres in Somalia, she showed all the signs of life-threating hunger. She was underweight, she had swollen feet and hands, and her hair had started to fall out. READ HER STORY Our response to Covid-19 in Somalia With an already depleted health care system, Somalia now also faces the threat of the Covid-19. Coronavirus is spreading rapidly in the country and will put the most vulnerable communities most at risk. Some regions lack the basic resources to fight the virus and healthcare facilities and hospitals are ill equipped to face a pandemic of this scale. In settlement camps, where many displaced families live, social distancing is almost impossible. “I haven’t seen these levels of need in my life. We’re quite worried about the situation for the most vulnerable populations in Somalia.” Hajir Maalim, Action Against Hunger’s Regional Director in East Africa We’ve been working with the Ministry of Health as part of the country’s coronavirus prevention response. We’re supporting the only quarantine hospital in the capital, Mogadishu and supporting the government’s response with vehicles, emergency staff and contact tracing, as well as supplying essential testing kits and personal protective equipment. GALLERY Responding to Covid-19 in Somalia Action Against Hunger supporting the only Covid-19 quarantine hospital in Somalia VIEW FULL SCREEN Save lives today Help more vulnerable communities in Somalia tackle hunger. DONATE NOW Related Kenya We work to improve the East African country’s healthcare system and provide life-saving nutrition programmes. TACKLING HUNGER South Sudan With millions fleeing from conflict, many people in the world’s newest country are at risk of life-threatening hunger. PREVENTING MALNUTRITION Uganda Home to over a million refugees from neighbouring countries, Uganda continues to struggle with slow economic growth. RUNNING INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMES DONATETAKE ACTIONFUNDRAISE Twitter twitter Facebook facebook Instagram instagram Youtube youtube Linkedin linkedin About Action Against Hunger What we stand for How we’re run Where your money goes Supporter promise Contact us Media Careers Stories Frequently asked questions Publications and reports Where we work Emergency response Environmental policy Knowledge Against Hunger JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER Sign up to our emails to receive updates from our programmes around the world and learn about how you can help transform lives. SIGN UP We’re part of the worldwide Action Against Hunger network. Learn more. Privacy PolicyAccessibility noticeComplaints policy © 2020 Action Against Hunger Registered charity: England and Wales (1047501), Scotland (SC048317) Registered address: Action Against Hunger UK, 6 Mitre Passage, London, SE10 0ER. Charity web design by Fat Beehive Garbicha from Ethiopia spends all day with his cattle in search of food and water. His livelihood is under threat because of the climate crisis. Read more. By clicking “Accept all cookies”, you agree to storing cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage and help our marketing strategy. ACCEPT ALL COOKIES COOKIE SETTINGS