Ettie Higgins is the Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in Hargeisa, Somalia. She has worked with UNICEF since 2002, and is originally from Cork. Ettie sent us this field report...
Since the dawn of 2011, the spectre of drought has loomed large not only over Somalia, but across the eastern Africa region – directly affecting over 10 million men, women and children in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea. And now, half way through the year, for many of these millions of people, there seems to be no end in sight to the drought as the rains have either been insufficient or have failed altogether.
Since 2009 I have been living in Somalia working with UNICEF, and I have witnessed the day-to-day struggle for families; especially women and children, to live through conditions so many of us could barely imagine but still make up the everyday reality for the women and children we strive to support. At home in Ireland, we may have one or two dry months where farmer’s livelihoods can suffer from just a slight deviation in the weather pattern. Now imagine you are living in a region that is already adversely affected by climate change and creeping desertification - where your family’s life depends on keeping your flock of animals alive or tilling a harvest in your patch of land – and now imagine the rains have failed again for a fourth year in a row.
The consequences are far-reaching and dire, and are seriously testing the traditional coping mechanisms of very resilient Somali communities – particularly those in central and southern regions of Somalia where the situation is the most grave, and where there has been no functioning government for over two decades. People are now facing a catastrophic depletion of water reserves, a massive loss of livestock and the resulting destruction of livelihoods and sources of income, bringing cumulative shocks on the most vulnerable households. Of particular concern to UNICEF, many children – particularly those under the age of five – are becoming acutely malnourished, with an increased number from 476,000 in January, to the current 554,508, with the number expected to rise significantly in the months to come unless large scale interventions are mobilized.
The number of people directly caught up in this humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia is estimated to be 2.85 million people – more than half the population of Ireland – reflecting an increase of over 42% since this time last year. But behind these statistics are the lives of countless numbers of women and children, so many of whom have seen their fragile hopes dashed by crisis upon crisis over the past decades.
In this latest disaster, the Berkhads - traditional shallow wells depended on by many households and herders - dried up months ago, with any rains falling insufficient to provide adequate replenishment. The crops many had relied on to feed their families and livestockalso failed leaving animals hungry and all too often dying in their droves.
Thousands of small-scale farmers, who have lost everything, are leaving their villages and communities in search of food and water. Pastoralists and nomadic herders, having lost their livestock – are fleeing to refugee camps and larger urban areas to survive with their families.
Up to 10,000 Somalis arrive in Dadaab camp in northern Kenya every week, making it the biggest refugee camp in the world with over 372,500 inhabitants – even though the camp infrastructure was built for 90,000, meaning aid agencies are struggling to meet the increased demand for resources.
The rate of acute malnutrition of under-5 children arriving across the border is 45%, reflecting the level of hardship inside Somalia. The lack of food in Somalia has meant that food prices have increased massively – doubling and even tripling in some areas compared to a year ago.
The drought is pushing the world’s most vulnerable children into a catastrophic situation, their families and communities being torn apart by displacement, while their education has been interrupted and their health seriously compromised. They also frequently live without the protection of their communities.
Through my work in responding to the drought over the past six months, I have met families – particularly mothers and children – in heart-breaking situations, on the sides of roads in the middle of the harsh desert begging the few passing vehicles for water. Families in health centres treating their children for malnutrition or diarrhoea caused by drinking the only dirty water that was available. Water point operators calling in the middle of the night to tell me that a pump or generator has broken down and dozens of surrounding villages or pastoral communities are relying on that water-points to survive.
To cope with the situation water-tankering has been used in emergency situations, and water bladders have been set-up in hospitals and health centres. Hundreds of thousands of water purification tablets have been distributed.
Boreholes – sometimes as deep as 300 metres – have been dug in harsh and insecure terrain to provide clean drinking water, and pumps and generators have been distributed to key water-points.
Water pump technicians are being trained on maintenance and work is being done to rehabilitate wells and boreholes. Simultaneous efforts are also constantly taking place to treat and contain disease outbreaks along with a drive to scale up and increase coverage of vaccination campaigns.
But the response and resources available still fall far short of the needs for Somalia’s children. As ever UNICEF remains committed to reach every child that is in need in Somalia, but we can only do it with your help.
Ettie Higgins is the Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in Hargeisa, Somalia. She has worked with UNICEF since 2002, and is originally from Cork. UNICEF, with partners, is the largest provider of water, education, health and nutrition services in Somalia. UNICEF is working throughout the region to ensure that water, food and medical treatments are provided for the children who need them and their mothers. However we need your help. Please back our appeal by donating online or calling 1850 767 999.