Somalia, one of the poorest countries in the world, is coping with a harsh climate and environment and more than 30 years of internal conflict. Armed groups still control large portions of the country, and millions of people remain displaced. Climate change especially threatens the majority of Somalis who depend on agriculture for a living.
Somalia experienced its worst drought in decades in 2023, followed by extensive floods. Despite some improvements, the levels of humanitarian needs remain severe and even extreme. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), almost one in five Somalis face acute food insecurity. Fueled by climate shocks and conflict, food prices have increased dramatically and exacerbated hardship.
Food insecurity and insufficient healthcare are near-constant and widespread problems in Somalia, where Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada’s partner Trócaire (Caritas Ireland) has been working in Somalia since 1992. Trócaire works with local authorities and communities to provide healthcare, including operating the only hospital and clinic network in the southwestern region of Gedo, that treats an average of 19,000 people every month. Trócaire’s longstanding presence has earned it the communities’ trust and enabled it to strengthen local systems.
With funding from Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada is working with Trócaire to identify and treat malnutrition in Gedo. Our support is enabling Trócaire to screen children under five and young mothers for malnutrition. Those with severe acute malnutrition are provided immediate lifesaving treatment, usually with precisely calibrated doses of specialized nutrients, in stabilization centres or outpatient therapeutic programs.
Trócaire also supports individuals through supplementary feeding programs to maintain gains made at the stabilization centres or with therapeutic feeding. Because malnutrition does not occur in isolation and usually affects entire impoverished families and not just the chid or woman diagnosed with acute malnutrition, Trócaire also provides the neediest households with food baskets. They also educate people on good nutritional practices and identifying malnutrition.
Development and Peace – Caritas Canada also help Trócaire enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities. Women farmers are assisted in producing food for the household and increasing their access to nutritious foods. Activities include preparing land for cultivation; providing agricultural inputs, including diverse crop seeds and training in climate-appropriate and resilient agricultural practices; and micro-gardening. Project participants also join savings and loan groups that engender good financial planning and preparedness for financial shocks and stresses.
Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada’s objective in Somalia is to deliver quality humanitarian programs that integrate health, nutrition, protection and basic education, while adopting a nexus approach 1.
We will continue to work with Trócaire and other partners to provide humanitarian support to mitigate the impacts of climate shocks, especially food insecurity and malnutrition. We will also work with partners to strengthen community resilience by diversifying agricultural and non-agricultural production, thereby increasing capacities to cope with recurring humanitarian shocks and stresses.
[1] A nexus approach is one that accounts for and addressed interlinkages between humanitarian, development and peace-focussed actions.
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Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is the official international solidarity organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis.
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