Droughts, displacement and diet in Somaliland

Despite the huge amount of food produced, traded and wasted globally, many people are finding it difficult to feed themselves and their families. And while rising prices, stagnating wages and profiteering all have a significant impact, climate change is undoubtedly one of the main drivers of this growing crisis.

Over recent years we’ve witnessed increasingly frequent and severe droughts, floods and swarms of pests – all disproportionately affecting people in communities that have contributed the least to the problem. Like the communities we work with in Somaliland where people’s lives have been turned upside down by persistent drought.

“Three years ago, the land was green and livestock was healthy. We had a lot of meat and milk. Now we sometimes only eat once a day. I can’t afford nutritious food, so we eat dry rice.” – Halima, Tea Seller, Somaliland

Health Poverty Action has worked with communities in Somaliland since 1994, building strong partnerships with government agencies, public officials and community members to address some of the challenges that people face, from economic hardship to limited access to healthcare.

Rising temperatures and declining rainfall have devastated many rural communities where people depend on raising livestock and growing crops for a living, displacing thousands of families.

We employ and support health workers, community workers and social activists to help families dealing with malnutrition – especially mothers and children. We train, equip and assist them to provide vital treatment, practical support and essential advice to people in their communities.

“Thousands of Somali children have severe malnutrition which is both a medical and a social disorder. The medical problems of the child result in part, from the social problems of the home where the child lives.” – Hussein Mohamed Abdirahman, Nutrition Officer, Health Poverty Action, Somaliland

Please give whatever you can; your donations support health workers, activists and everyday people as they build healthy, balanced communities.

• A regular donation of just £7 a month could pay two months’ salary for a community worker supporting families to maintain good health and nutrition each year

• A regular donation of £14 a month could pay a month’s salary for a nurse treating children and adults who are acutely malnourished each year.

• A regular donation of £25 a month could cover the cost of renting a truck to distribute emergency food supplies for a month each year