Children suffering most in Somalia

UNICEF yesterday airlifted emergency nutrition supplies and water-related equipment to Baidoa, Bay region in southern Somalia, as part of its life-saving interventions to assist drought-affected children in Somalia and more supplies are en-route.

The most severe humanitarian emergency in the world has been declared in the Horn of Africa, with Somalia being the epicentre of the crisis. Over half a million children in Somalia are acutely malnourished and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The south, currently in a very critical humanitarian situation, is worst affected, hosting 80 per cent of all malnourished children. In some areas of the south, one in three children is acutely malnourished.

“Yesterday UNICEF airlifted to Baidoa 5 metric tons of essential nutrition supplies, including therapeutic food and medicine to treat severely malnourished children, and equipment to supply clean water to the camp for displaced people in Baidoa. Health supplies are also en-route via Mogadishu, consisting of health kits with essential medicines to treat common childhood illnesses, such as respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, minor injuries and worm infestation, for 10 health facilities to reach up to 100,000 people over a period of 3 months” said UNICEF Representative to Somalia, Rozanne Chorlton. “We are ready to work anywhere in Somalia, provided we get unhindered access to reach the most vulnerable children in need” she said.

Somalia is the epicentre of this disaster because an extremely fragile situation, characterised by conflict and insecurity, has escalated at the same time as climatic and price changes were hitting hard on the population.
Listen to interview by Charles Collins with Rozanne Chorlton: