The Devastating Impact of the Drought
Living in an internally displaced camp made of scraps of old rugs, cartons and polyethene paper, a mother of five is desperate for help after fleeing her hometown.
Mana Mohammed Nur, 38, and her children were forced to leave their home in Buufow village in Somalia. Now, they are left with nothing.
“We ran away from as far as Buufow near Marka town which is 74 km away with my children after losing all my livestock,” she says. “Life has become very hard, and we could no longer live in that area.”
Their surroundings are beyond daunting. There is no adequate water supply, and only few toilets in poor condition. Adults are unemployed, and children walk barefoot without life’s necessities like food and water.
Nur worries the effects of the drought will only intensify causing more harm in the coming months. According to UNICEF, one child every minute is being admitted for malnutrition treatment in Somalia. The dire situation is resulting in 7.1 million people facing food insecurity and 213,000 facing catastrophic hunger.
“Our main worry is that the drought will shift from our village and continue and cause more death,” she says. “People will starve to death in the countryside as a result of the severe drought.”
Thousands like Nur are waiting to be helped. As Somalia grapples with its worst drought in 40 years, reach out to your displaced brothers and sisters in need. The Somalis are relying on the international community for support.
