Good news from Somalia
2023 kicks off with good news here at MOAS! Our latest shipment of nutritional supplements has reached Mogadishu and is now being distributed in different regions of Somalia by our in-country partner, International Medical Corps! This life-saving therapeutic food we shipped is paramount to combat malnutrition in children and is desperately needed in this region, at the brink of famine.
Situation update in Somalia
Hunger is rising in Somalia following a historic fourth consecutive failed rainy season since 2020 and the worst drought in 40 years, with 7.8 million people—almost half of the population—affected. According to OCHA, as of the end of October, 6.7 million people are facing acute food insecurity, and 1.1 million people have been displaced from their homes in search of water, food and pasture. For the first time since 2017, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has confirmed pockets of catastrophic food insecurity (Phase 5), estimated to affect at least 300,560 people across the country.
Between January and September 2022, 864 children died while receiving treatment for severe wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition. According to UNICEF, at least 330,000 children in Somalia need life-saving treatment for severe wasting—much more than the 190,000 who required treatment during the country’s 2011 famine. Outbreaks of disease have spiked, with 10,440 recorded cholera cases and 59 deaths across 25 drought-affected districts since January 2022. The WASH Cluster reports that 6.4 million people are affected by significant water shortages, with 14 out of 18 regions being severely affected. Migration by pastoralists and their livestock continues to increase as people compete for limited safe water and resources, potentially stoking social tensions.
The drought crisis in Somalia is predicted to worsen over the coming months, as a historic fifth poor rainy season is forecast. The morbidity rate is expected to increase, especially for women and children, with worsening food insecurity as well as water scarcity. More than 90% of Somalia is already experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions; malnutrition and disease outbreaks have surged, and people continue to face difficulties accessing safe water, proper sanitation and adequate food.
The response of MOAS
Since 2020, MOAS has been working to bring relief to Somali communities affected by food insecurity and malnutrition in partnership with our partners, Edesia Nutrition and International Medical Corps Somalia. At the end of last year, we delivered 40 tonnes of Plumpy Nut®, a revolutionary kind of therapeutic food specifically designed to treat malnutrition in children above 6 months. Why is this product so special? Cassidee Jones, the Customer Relations Coordinator at Edesia Nutrition, in a recent interview, explained what makes this product so unique in treating malnutrition, in comparison with traditional food groups: “When a child is extremely malnourished, food is lethal to them. At that point in time, they need something that is more easily digestible and easier to consume, and these sachets deal with a lack of appetite which happens when you are that malnourished. When you’re that hungry, you’re not hungry. The reason this paste is so easy to consume is that it can be mixed with water, or it can be given in the sachet form. It is less intense for the body to digest, and it has just enough vitamins and minerals that it is safe to, and beneficial to, consume. All the products that go through the line remain in boxes and all of it is handled in a safe and sanitised environment; if food is handled it is handled with gloves. We have high-level safety measures as these are going to kids that will be eating it. So, everything that we do is to ensure the child can eat food safely, and in a way that restores the loss of weight or physical impacts they are dealing with”.
Final thoughts
MOAS will continue to support vulnerable communities needing humanitarian aid in Somalia. We are very grateful to be able to collaborate with the International Medical Corps and Edesia on our shipments of nutritional aid and contribute to bolstering the availability of critical, life-saving services for those who need them the most.
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