Michelle Heuertz, Kha Minh, Eliane Tavares Sanches, Qi Guo and Clara Pires have interviewed Ibrahim Sheik, the Emergency Public Health Manager at CARE Somalia to better understand the impact of the climate crisis on the Somalian Humanitarian crisis.

Somalia is one of the four African countries currently facing the worst and most challenging food crisis in decades. The situation is rapidly deteriorating, with food insecurity and social distress increasing quickly. To better inform you about this topic, we will address the causes and effects of the famine and provide an overview of the aid and humanitarian assistance available in the country. We will also present the expert opinion of Ibrahim Sheikh, whom we reached out to for an interview.

Famine is one of the many severe crises that Somalia, a country in East Africa, has faced over the years. Natural and man-made disasters have ravaged the country for forty years, pushing its population into an ever-worsening crisis. According to CARE, over 4 million people in Somalia are currently victims of a serious hunger crisis, and 1.7 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition due to a lack of resources. The situation will remain critical if their despair stays hidden from the public eye.

Heavy flooding during the recent rains in Somalia in 2023 (Copyright : CARE International)

Climate change is one of the major causes of the famine, and its effects are devastating for the Somali population. The latest drought, caused by numerous consecutive seasons of poor rainfall, has led to severe water scarcity, which in turn has led to the loss of livestock and crop failure. Consequently, the population is pushed to the verge of famine every time a drought strikes.

Severe drought causes large deaths of cattle during one of the last droughts in 2022 (Copyright : Saddam Mohamed)

“Drought often causes severe water shortages for both human and livestock populations and farming. Drought most often triggers conflict over resources, especially water and pastures, between communities (e.g., farmers vs. pastoralists [nomadic communities] or at times between the nomadic communities themselves, especially when water and pasture sources are limited during peak drought seasons),” says Ibrahim Sheikh, Emergency WASH Program Manager at CARE, Somalia.

Emergency water trucking for the affected households in Somalia during the drought in 2022 (Copyright : © 2021 Walter Mawere/CARE)

“Communities are sometimes forced to resort to contaminated water sources for their household water needs due to the drying up of water sources. As a result of the water shortages, large populations are commonly forced to depend on emergency water trucking interventions supported by humanitarian agencies for all their water needs.”

This is no longer relevant. The war between Ukraine and Russia is no exception and poses a big problem for the countries in East Africa, as they are major suppliers of wheat and corn, resulting in shortages of wheat and grain supplies and increased prices. Many families in Africa now fear they will no longer be able to feed their families due to constant price increases. In addition, the donor world's attention is also turned to Ukraine.

Although natural disasters and human crises persist in Somalia, the resilience of its people is remarkable. Despite facing all kinds of threats to their well-being, as stated above, Somalis are able to maintain a semblance of normality. As basic necessities and shelter are hard to find and access to healthcare and education is limited, communities often come together to support one another amidst all these challenges. Especially in rural areas, where poverty is a big problem, communities rely “on traditional social network support systems as a first response coping mechanism, supporting the needs of vulnerable households during various humanitarian crises.”

Sheikh states, “Commonly, Somali people, especially women and girls, are forced to travel long distances and spend long hours in search of water for their families. Sometimes, due to water shortages, households are forced to reduce their daily water consumption, for example, by consuming 2-3 liters of water per person per day. That’s below the SPHERE minimum emergency standard of 7.5 liters of water per person per day. At the household level, they have to skip hand washing, bathing, cooking, etc., only to use the remaining water for drinking.”

The severe water shortage affects the health of the Somalis, especially the vulnerable part of the population, as it most commonly leads to the outbreak of diseases like cholera, acute watery diarrhea, scabies, helminths, and eye infections. Typically, children under the age of five suffer from secondary conditions, such as severe and acute malnutrition, that may lead to poor milestone development and impaired cognitive outcomes.

The consequences of these famine cycles include rising food prices, increased school dropouts, resource-based conflicts, and the youth wanting to migrate to other countries, leaving their elders behind. If the situation does not change, the country will continue to suffer adverse effects.

Alongside other aid agencies, CARE is one of the many organizations providing humanitarian intervention in Somalia during emergencies. These include multi-purpose cash assistance for families facing food insecurity and those who are displaced in search of food and water, as well as health and nutrition support for malnourished children, water and sanitation, protection services, and emergency education support. USAID partners also support the population with emergency food, medical aid, protection, and much more.

Between October 2023 and March 2024, CARE International Somalia, through the Somalia Multi-Sectoral Humanitarian Response Program, was able to support the immediate needs of drought and flood-affected community members, targeting a total of 898,214 individuals, comprising 491,084 females and 407,130 males through the sectors of food assistance, multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA), health and nutrition services, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions.

CARE Somalia has a wide geographic presence in Somalia. Through a multi-pronged response mechanism such as strategically placed local implementing partners who respond to the needs of hard-to-reach communities, collaboration with federal and member state departments, humanitarian agencies, community-based structures, and the involvement of affected community members—men, women, girls, and boys—who are consulted to inform the emergency response strategies with the aim of providing a rapid and timely intervention during humanitarian emergencies at their very onset.

In 2023, a humanitarian call from the United Nations (U.N.) chief, António Guterres, was initiated to gather $2.6 billion for Somalia, but only 15% was provided. So, even with the help that other countries have brought to Somalia, it is not enough. According to CARE’s Ibrahim Sheikh, "The external help received from other countries isn't enough. This is more of a complementary support to the government and communities’ response efforts aimed at reducing the potential impacts of the humanitarian crisis. The population in need of humanitarian support is large and widely spread across many regions of Somalia.”

With all the problems and challenges that Somalia is facing right now, it is almost impossible for them to get out of this severe crisis, even with the help of international assistance. The help that other countries bring to Somalia is simply not enough.

The Somalis' battle against the many crises will take a long time. Unfortunately, this is one of the many countries in Africa whose crises are not highlighted enough and are often forgotten.

This project has allowed us students to learn about these issues that are rarely covered in the media. We are thankful to CARE, RTL, and our German teacher for giving us the opportunity to explore this topic. As the generation of tomorrow, we think it is important to give a voice to the people in need and to let them know that we care.

Michelle Heuertz, Kha Minh, Eliane Tavares Sanches, Qi Guo and Clara Pires from the 3e section of the Lycée Michel Rodange of Luxembourg, may 2024

https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/weltwirtschaft/weizen-preis-afrika-ukraine-krieg-101.html

https://www.care.org/our-work/disaster-response/emergencies/somalia-food-insecurity-crisis/

https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalias-humanitarian-crisis-demands-immediate-action-and-funding-avert-hunger

https://www.un.org/africarenewal/web-features/famine-somalia

https://www.unicef.org/somalia/emergencies

https://www.rescue.org/eu/article/their-own-words-displaced-drought-somalia

https://www.wfp.org/news/drought-floods-climate-extremes-drive-somalia-hunger-crisis

Toutes les opinions exprimées par les « Correspondants Humanitaires » sont uniquement leurs opinions actuelles et ne reflètent pas les opinions de CARE International, CARE Luxembourg a.s.b.l., d'autres bureaux de CARE et leurs affiliés. Les opinions des « Correspondants Humanitaires » sont basées sur des informations qu'ils considèrent comme fiables, mais ni CARE Luxembourg a.s.b.l., ni ses affiliés et partenaires ne garantissent leur exhaustivité ou leur exactitude, et elles ne doivent pas être considérées comme telles.

Les « Correspondants Humanitaires » sont des étudiants (pour la plupart mineurs) des lycées luxembourgeois qui ont participé à trois ateliers guidés par CARE Luxembourg a.s.b.l. et ont été chargés de faire leurs propres recherches sur les pays proposés. CARE Luxembourg a.s.b.l. se réserve le droit de modifier la forme des articles mais ne changera pas le contenu du matériel afin de respecter le travail des étudiants et leurs points de vue.