UNICEF in Somalia

Humanitarian crisis in Somalia fueled by climate shocks, conflict and insecurity

Extreme weather, civil conflict, chronic poverty and acute, widespread food insecurity have made Somalia one of the most dangerous places in the world for children. 

Half the population — roughly 8 million people — face a shortage of sustainable and safe water for drinking and other household needs. An estimated 1.5 million children are at risk of life-threatening levels of malnutrition. Cases of cholera and measles — both preventable diseases — have soared.

And there are 4.8 million children aged 5 to 17 out of school, which only magnifies their risks of being forcibly recruited by armed groups, falling victim to physical violence or sexual abuse or being abducted.

A 5-year drought followed by floods

Between 2020 and 2023, Somalia experienced five consecutive seasons of failed rains — the longest period of drought in recent memory. Livelihoods were destroyed and entire communities were displaced — a catastrophe for already vulnerable children and families.

The situation fell short of full-blown famine — with emergency action by UNICEF and other humanitarian agencies helping to avert the worst — but acute food insecurity persists. Food is still too expensive for most households, the high prices having a lot to do with the war in Ukraine and its effects on the global food supply chain. Low crop yields and livestock deaths during the drought years have only increased Somalia's dependence on grain imports.

In 2023, drought conditions gave way to heavy flooding — bringing on yet another climate emergency across multiple regions, exacerbating food insecurity and other stresses and displacing hundreds of thousands more people. All told, there are 3.8 million internally displaced people in Somalia.

There are other disruptions and threats to Somali children's rights and futures. Clan conflicts, military operations against Al-Shabaab and the withdrawal of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia have heightened insecurity and instability in the country. Grave violations against children are all too common; in 2022, the last year for which complete reporting is available, more than 3,000 cases were verified, with 200 children killed and nearly 600 maimed. The presence of unexploded ordinance and landmines poses a major safety risk. 

Humanitarian response efforts: how UNICEF is helping children in Somalia

UNICEF continues to work with the government, other UN agencies and local partners in Somalia to meet urgent needs of vulnerable children and families, providing lifesaving assistance during emergencies while also investing in system strengthening and resilience building. Here are some examples:

Improving nutrition — and fighting child malnutrition

UNICEF has active nutrition programs in 70 of Somalia's 74 districts, supporting services at over 1,000 nutrition facilities, including 400 mobile units. Pre-positioning supplies like Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a lifesaving treatment for children with severe acute malnutrition (also known as wasting disease) helps keep services going in an emergency like the 2023 floods.

Top priorities in nutrition include:

• identifying and treating children with severe acute malnutrition with RUTF — 96 percent of children treated with RUTF fully recover 
• training caregivers to screen children for malnutrition at home to support early detection, which can make all the difference between life and death for an acutely malnourished child
• supporting pregnant and nursing mothers to help ensure they can successfully breastfeed, which is key to preventing newborn and infant malnutrition 

Ensuring access to health care and safe water 

UNICEF is also working in Somalia to improve essential health care service delivery at facilities and through mobile units. Priorities include:

• boosting vaccine acceptance to help improve immunization rates among children: UNICEF has deployed thousands of social mobilizers in Somalia to conduct community outreach campaigns to stress the importance of vaccines to protect children from preventable diseases; mothers who lost children to measles share their stories to help convince reluctant parents 
• supporting nationwide mass vaccination campaigns: in November 2023, working with Somalia's Ministry of Health and in collaboration with partners, UNICEF embarked on a four-day effort to immunize 2.5 million children in the central and southern part of the country against polio
• reaching pregnant women with maternal health services, including antenatal care and delivery services from skilled birth attendants
• providing operational support and supplies to cholera treatment centers

Scarcity of safe water remains a persistent problem in Somalia. UNICEF's efforts include trucking in safe water to meet immediate needs while also advancing longer-term solutions by supporting the drilling of new boreholes and the rehabilitation and construction of water supply systems, including pipeline extensions to schools, health facilities and community water kiosks.

To help contain the spread of cholera and other infectious diseases, UNICEF distributes hygiene kits to households and promotes protective measures through home visits, community meetings and media campaigns.

Strengthening child protection

Another major focus area for UNICEF in Somalia is child protection. Ongoing efforts include:

• supporting unexploded ordnance and landmine risk education so kids know how to stay safe
• strengthening case management and psychosocial support services for children who have been victims of violence, exploitation and abuse, including children who were released (or who successfully escaped) from an armed group. Through UNICEF-supported programs, these children receive psychosocial support, education support and skills training, among other services, to help them reintegrate back into their communities

UNICEF also works to integrate gender equality, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and gender-based violence prevention and response across all its program work in Somalia. 

Supporting children's education in Somalia

School attendance rates for newly displaced children in Somalia are as low as 21 percent. For children who are not displaced, school attendance is higher yet still low at 39 percent. 

Working with local partners, UNICEF helps create opportunities for out-of-school children in Somalia to access education — supporting the construction of temporary classrooms (complete with latrines and handwashing facilities) and supplying teaching and learning materials.

Every morning, Adan, 11, leaves the makeshift shelter where he is staying with his mother and four siblings in Baidoa to make his way to a temporary learning space UNICEF helped set up at the Deebwin camp for displaced families. A prolonged drought forced Adan and his family to flee their home outside of Baidoa city. 

“For me, this temporary learning space is much more than just learning, it is a place where I feel protected and cared for. It has given me a sense of stability and routine,” Adan says. “Waking up every day to come to school and learn new things fills me with joy. I thank my amazing teachers who have invested in me and encouraged me. I learned the Somali language quite fast thanks to their patience."

“When I grow up, I would like to become a teacher because I like to help those who have less knowledge," Adan continues. "I have seen the power of education and I would like to impart this to as many children as I can; even while at home I try to teach my younger siblings a thing or two that I have learned in school that day."

UNICEF is working in partnership with Educate A Child and the Ministry of Education to enroll and retain in primary school 300,000 out-of-school girls and boys affected by poverty, displacement and other crises by 2026.

Learn more about UNICEF's humanitarian strategy in Somalia.

Related:

UNICEF in Africa

Emergency in the Horn of Africa

Food Crises and the UNICEF Response

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