A Somali mother’s three-day journey carrying her severely malnourished daughter to a hospital has highlighted the worsening child malnutrition emergency in Somalia, where millions of young children face hunger, disease and limited access to essential healthcare.
Halima Abdullahi Ibrahim carried her three-year-old daughter, Asho Hassan Abdi, nearly 90 kilometres from their village to Kismayo Referral Hospital in southern Somalia after the child’s condition deteriorated and medical assistance was unavailable closer to home.
Upon arrival, medical workers diagnosed Asho with edema, a condition involving abnormal fluid accumulation that can cause swelling and is associated with severe acute malnutrition. Her case illustrates the difficulties families in remote communities face when seeking urgent medical treatment.
Nearly Two Million Children Face Malnutrition
According to an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), approximately 1.92 million children aged between six months and five years in Somalia are experiencing or are expected to experience acute malnutrition during the year ending June 2027.
Of that number, an estimated 433,000 children are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, which significantly increases the risk of death without timely treatment.
Southern Somalia accounts for more than half of the projected cases. Families in the region face a combination of food insecurity, disease outbreaks, inadequate sanitation, limited access to clean water and insufficient healthcare services.
The situation could worsen if anticipated El Niño-related flooding displaces additional communities and disrupts access to hospitals and nutrition centres.
Humanitarian Aid Shortages Deepen the Crisis
The growing emergency comes as humanitarian organisations struggle with funding shortages that have reduced their ability to support vulnerable families.
At Kismayo Referral Hospital, 152 children were admitted for severe acute malnutrition in August, with four deaths recorded during the month, according to Jubbaland Health Minister Ismail Garas.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that malnutrition, combined with illnesses such as measles, places children at even greater risk.
Meanwhile, displaced families living in settlements around Kismayo face worsening conditions. Local officials say some internally displaced people have gone without humanitarian assistance since 2023 because of insufficient funding.
Flooding Threatens Vulnerable Communities
Aid agencies are also concerned that flooding along the Juba River could force more families to leave their homes and seek refuge in Kismayo, putting additional pressure on already strained health facilities and humanitarian services.
UNICEF representatives and local officials have called for stronger cooperation between community leaders, healthcare workers, government authorities and international organisations to improve access to treatment and strengthen support for vulnerable households.
Halima’s journey demonstrates the urgent need for accessible healthcare, adequate nutrition programmes and sustained humanitarian assistance.
Without increased support, thousands of children could remain at risk as Somalia confronts worsening food insecurity, limited medical services and the threat of further displacement.
Swifteradio.com
