Help a mother like Amburo* save her child’s life
Update: hunger in Somalia reaches crisis levels.
People in Somalia are incredibly resilient. They have to be. They have endured years of drought and devastating floods when the rains finally came. They have lived through terrible conflict that has forced millions from their homes.
Then, just four years ago, they faced a plague of desert locusts that destroyed their crops, at the same time as Covid-19 was bringing misery to overcrowded refugee camps.
Up to 1.6 million children in Somalia are facing acute malnutrition.
Tragically, many families like Amburo’s* have no choice but to make the heart-wrenching decision to leave home in the hope of earning an income so they can feed their children.
When they arrived in Mogadishu, life was no easier. The sheer numbers of people who have come to the capital – more than 3.8 million Somalis are displaced, 80% of whom are women and children – means there is very little work.
Amburo’s 12-month-old son Ibrahim* fell ill because of a lack of food. After assessment at Concern’s Maternal & Child Health Centres (MCH), Ibrahim was found to be dangerously underweight and suffering from severe acute malnutrition. He was immediately placed on a course of therapeutic food and given Amoxicillin syrup to protect his weakened body from the threat of infection.
Thankfully, Ibrahim began to put on weight and, after eight weeks of treatment, was discharged from the emergency feeding programme. Along with therapeutic food, the MCH Centre provide healthcare and nutritional supplements for pregnant and new mothers, as well as vital antenatal classes and education.
Concern has also assisted me with my malnourished children; they have given them vitamin-rich biscuits. They also shared ways to handle, prepare and store food safely as well as cook nutritious meals.
MHC Centres which cost £249 a day to run also provide a place where mothers can come together, learn from healthcare professionals, and gain the knowledge they need to keep their children healthy. Issues like breastfeeding, weaning and best hygiene practices are addressed, while mums share problems and issues, arming themselves with the knowledge to do what’s best for their children both before and after birth.
But with so many more children still going hungry we cannot reach them without the supporter of people like you.
We’re now running over 20 health facilities in remote areas and displacement camps, helping more than 1,000 mothers every day. With your support, we’re working to lower high rates of maternal deaths and child malnutrition by providing life-saving healthcare. Through programmes like immunisations, antenatal care, and therapeutic nutrition, we’re helping protect children and mothers from illness and hunger, building a healthier future for families in Somalia.
Thank you for your kindness and compassion.
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of individuals.
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14.2%
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3.5%
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