By Horn Africa News Staff | Mogadishu
Source: Unocha.Org
OCHA reports that funding cuts are taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable people in Somalia.
The country faces an already difficult food security situation, with some 4.6 million people facing high acute food insecurity across Somalia and 1.8 million children under 5 expected to be acutely malnourished this year. Partners report that food assistance has dropped more than 50 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Across Somalia, more than 150 clinics have been affected in the first half of this year, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to healthcare. Funding for water and sanitation programmes stands at just 6.5 per cent of the required amount.
In the Middle Shabelle region, more than 28 nutrition sites could close by end of this month. The closures will significantly affect nutrition services for vulnerable children, as well as pregnant and lactating women, in a region that has one of the highest malnutrition rates in Somalia.
In Banadir region, more than 12,700 malnourished children, including more than 1,100 suffering from severe acute malnutrition and at risk of death, will soon lose life-saving treatment, as 20 supplementary feeding sites face imminent closure.
Similarly, in South West state, mobile outreach health teams have dropped from 74 in 2024 to just 25 currently. In Puntland state, 79 health facilities, including all 29 public health units, have ceased functioning since the start of the year.
Because of the funding reductions, 2 million Somalis are projected to face heightened vulnerability in the coming months.
Humanitarian agencies in Somalia have reprioritized their response efforts to align activities to the new funding reality. The $1.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Somalia is 15 per cent funded, with just over $222 million received. The food security and nutrition sectors are only 5 and 3 percent funded, respectively.
OCHA is concerned that without urgent and sustained funding, the humanitarian crisis in Somalia will deepen, leading to preventable suffering and loss of life.*
*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Somalia with urgent support.
