In 2024, Help a Child and Medair brought lifesaving Health and WASH services to flood-affected communities in Baardheere and Kismayo in Somalia. Over 33,700 people received essential support, including maternal and child healthcare, immunizations, antenatal services, malnutrition referrals, and improved hygiene and shelter assistance.

Health workers trained in integrated childhood illness protocols operated three mobile clinics that reached remote villages cut off by floodwaters. Three flood-damaged health facilities were repaired to bolster local healthcare capacity. A new Postnatal Care ward was constructed in Shaqalaha, and an additional room was added at Abdalla Birole to handle the growing patient load triggered by the influx of IDPs.

The fight against Cholera
To combat cholera, a new treatment unit and three oral rehydration points were established, serving nearly 1,800 patients and keeping fatalities below 0.2%. In parallel, 3,000 hygiene kits were distributed, reaching 20,360 individuals, while 2,000 IDP households received shelter kits, benefiting 13,340 people. Community health workers, supported with training and incentives, played a key role in raising awareness of cholera prevention, safe water use, and sanitation. Aditionally, gender and protection concerns were integrated, focusing on women-headed households and training staff in basic protection guidelines.

The holistic approach of combining mobile outreach, facility rehabilitation, and WASH measures has strengthened resilience in Somalia’s hardest-hit regions. Through this collective effort, Help a Child and Medair have ensured that families facing displacement and ongoing floods could access the vital support needed for recovery.

Due to heavy rainfall, 2.4 million people in Somalia have become victims of flooding. Therefore, Help a Child provides emergency assistance in the areas around Kismayo and Baardheere for the next six months.

From October to December, Somalia experiences its rainy season. Intense rainfall caused several rivers to overflow, leading to flooding in parts of Somalia. In Baardheere, 42,236 people fled their homes, and in Kismayo 62,605. In total, more than 2.4 million people have been affected by the severe weather and subsequent floods.

Humanitarian crisis
The humanitarian crisis among the affected people is severe: hospitals are damaged, there is a significant shortage of medicines, and medical assistance is limited. Most refugees end up in camps with makeshift shelters, lacking access to basic necessities such as clean water and other hygiene facilities.

Assistance and training
In collaboration with the Dutch Relief Alliance, Help a Child takes action. Over the next six months, we will provide emergency assistance in the areas of health and hygiene. This assistance focuses on vulnerable groups such as (pregnant) women, mothers, and children under the age of five. We involve village communities in providing this assistance. Together with village elders and (youth) leaders, decisions are made on how and from where aid should be delivered. Additionally, we provide training on WASH: water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene.

Climate change
Just six months ago, Somalia was facing the worst drought in forty years. The significant shift now illustrates the impact of climate change on countries like Somalia. Help a Child continues to advocate for children and families there. We are grateful for the additional budget allocated to the Dutch Relief Alliance.

Dutch Relief Alliance
The Dutch Relief Alliance consists of fourteen Dutch humanitarian organizations collaborating with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and many local organizations to provide emergency aid in countries such as Somalia and South Sudan.

Partner organization Zamzam gives a video update on the situation in Somalia and the assistance we can offer with the Dutch Relief Alliance.

[button_primary link=”https://youtube.com/shorts/FooXqU7gHqI?feature=share” target=”_blank”]Watch the video update[/button_primary]