Sarbina Ali, a community health worker visits on average 50 households in the IDP camp to raise awareness about the importance of hygiene and refer patients to available health services including immunization. Photo credit: WHO Somalia/I. Taxta

22 November 2023, Mogadishu, Somalia – Amid the severe drought crisis in Somalia, Sarbina Ali, a community health worker is bringing hope to internally displaced people seeking refuge in the Daynile district. With the support of WHO and its drought response team, Ali works tirelessly to provide community-level health services and mobilize the affected community to practise healthy living.

Daynile, in the north of the Banadir region, has become a haven for internally displaced people due to its ease of access from Afgoye and Balcad, where conflict and drought have displaced many people. Ali, a mother of 7 children, was selected by Banadir Health Directorate as a community health worker for the WHO-supported drought response. Her familiarity with the area and unwavering commitment to the community made her an ideal candidate for the role.

The WHO country office in Somalia, with funding support from the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), has deployed community health workers in some of the worst drought-affected districts as part of implementing community-based surveillance. Majority of these community health workers are women, and they belong to the same community where they are deployed. This project aims to help improve the collection and use of timely and accurate health and nutrition data through the community health workers who are providing basic health care in marginalized settings where people have no access to health care either due to geographic accessibility or insecurity. In addition, these community health workers are monitoring health-related events and community alerts for further verification by the rapid field investigation teams. This way, any public health threat before it turns into an epidemic in the community, is identified timely and rapidly contained.

“As someone who has lived here for a long time, I feel a responsibility to welcome and assist the new arrivals and those who are already residing in this camp,” says Ali. “They are our guests, seeking refuge from hunger and violence. I do my best to identify sick and suffering ones arriving at the camp, refer them to WHO-supported health services including immunization, guide them about the schedule of the outreach teams and educate them about healthy living. It brings me joy to serve these people, knowing that they have lost most of their belongings including livestock and been severely affected by the drought.” 

A WHO-supported outreach team offers registration, treatment, and medication for the ailments to displaced persons living at the IDP camp in Daynile district. Photo credit: I. Taxta

Ali’s role as a community health worker involves raising awareness among the displaced community about malnutrition, sanitation, hygiene and diseases like acute watery diarrhoea, measles, and COVID-19. Talking about her key challenges, she said that during her door-to-door community mobilization efforts displaced residents often prioritize food over medicine. “I have to consistently remind and educate them both individually and collectively that their living conditions in the camp exposes them to extreme circumstances, therefore, they need to give equal priority, if not more, to their health and hygiene.”

Every day, Ali visits a minimum of 50 households, ensuring that women and children in the camp are familiar with her friendly face. She serves as a vital link between the community and the outreach teams supported by WHO for the drought response. Ali’s dedication and tireless efforts have significantly improved the lives of those he serves.

One particularly heartbreaking incident stands out in Ali’s memory. During a visit to the camp, he came across a woman who was 9 months pregnant and was suffering from malnutrition and other medical conditions, some of which were related to displacement, lack of hygiene and poor living conditions. Upon identifying her, Ali immediately brought her to the WHO-supported outreach team in the camp, to get the life-saving medical attention and treatment. The woman eventually gave birth to a healthy baby girl at the district hospital.

Seeking anonymity due to security reasons, Fartun she said that “Ali was a God-sent help to me when I reached this camp after fleeing from a life-threatening experience from my village—about 150 kilometres from this camp—and I am so grateful to WHO for arranging these services for people like me,” observed Fartun while narrating her experiences. Staunchly dedicated to her work, Ali considers it both a voluntary and moral obligation to serve vulnerable people who have fled drought and war.

Mahmud Hairan, the medical officer at the district hospital observed that “Community based surveillance has helped with timely identification of the sick children and women within the IDP camps and eventually has helped save many precious lives.”

For more information, please contact:

Fouzia Bano, WHO Communications Officer
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Saeed Ahmed, WHO Reporting/EXR Officer
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

View the links below for more information:

Drought survivors converge on internally displaced person camps to “live another day”

WHO Representative explains drought situation and response in Somalia (video on Flickr)

[1] Name of the beneficiary changed due to security reasons

Engaging communities in meaningful dialogue through the KSrelief-funded project will help combat the high prevalence of childhood pneumonia and encourage safe caregiver practices in Somaliland. Photo credit: WHO Somalia/S.Farah

13 November 2023, Arabsiyo, Somalia – Hawa, a resilient mother of 5 young children, has experienced the challenges and joys of motherhood in Somaliland (1). Her journey took a heartbreaking turn when her new baby had a low birth weight and later died of pneumonia, a prevalent and deadly illness in Somalia.

About 12.8% of newborns in Somalia are born with low birth weight, and pneumonia is a leading cause of death for children aged under 5 years, accounting for 21% of all deaths in this age group – or 39.5 deaths per 1000 live births (2). Shockingly, only 13% of children with pneumonia symptoms receive treatment in health facilities, and less than 1% receive antibiotics either in the community or at health facilities (3). Hawa’s story, which is all too common in Somalia, highlights the urgent need to address childhood pneumonia and diseases in the country.

“Every breath counts: reducing childhood pneumonia through enhanced medical oxygen access in Somalia” is a project to combat the high prevalence of childhood pneumonia and encourage safe caregiver practices to improve child health outcomes.

The project aims to reduce under-five morbidity and mortality by 40%, by providing medical oxygen and pneumonia and diarrhoea treatments, and educating communities on safe hygiene practices, breastfeeding, and pneumonia symptoms through community dialogues. This 18-month project spans 10 districts across Somalia, including Somaliland, and is funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

First community dialogue makes an impression

Despite Hawa’s heartbreaking experience, she made the brave decision to take part in the first community dialogue of the KSrelief-funded project. The Ministry of Health and Development of Somaliland organized the discussion with the support of the WHO Country Office

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) was the topic of this community dialogue, which took place on 2 November 2023 in Arabsiyo, Gabilay district, Somaliland, with 27 community members. KMC is a life-saving practice that involves skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her preterm or low-birth-weight newborn.

KMC was defined and its benefits for vulnerable newborns were set out. Participants discussed potential barriers, misconceptions and cultural beliefs regarding KMC, as well as the role of fathers and the community in supporting mothers who practise KMC. In Somali culture, it is customary to carry babies on the back. But the participants agreed that KMC could become part of their culture through more community dialogue to promote the practice.

Hawa shared her thoughts on the community dialogue: “In our traditional way of carrying babies, we always believed that the mother who carries her baby on her chest and moves around with them is incompetent and putting her child in danger. However, learning today that KMC is critical for low-birth-weight children and can save their lives is very useful information.”

She added, “I couldn’t save my youngest child, but I believe that by participating in these dialogues, I can help save other children. It is essential to spread awareness about practices like KMC, and together, we can make a difference.”

Umalkayr, the facilitator for this discussion, believes that community dialogues play a crucial role in bringing about behavioural change by addressing various myths and promoting knowledge about life-saving and healthy practices among all community members, especially mothers and community elders.

“By openly discussing topics such as KMC and safe caregiver behaviours,” said Umalkayr, “local communities have shown the willingness to adapt and improve their knowledge and practices, which will eventually help save many more children.”

For more information, please contact:

Fouzia Bano, Communications Officer
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.  

Saeed Ahmed, Reporting Officer
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.  

Note to editors:

For more details about the project in Somalia, see: “Every breath counts”: KSrelief and WHO join hands to prevent childhood deaths by increasing access to medical oxygen in Somalia

[1]. Name changed to protect identity.

[2]. A good start in life begins in the womb.  
United Nations Children’s Fund; July 2023.

[3]. Country Cooperation Strategy for WHO and Somalia 2021–2025.
Cairo: WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean; 2022.

H.E the Prime Minister of Somalia, Mr. Hamza Abdi Barre chairs a high-level consultative meeting with BMGF, WHO and UNICEF on 12 October 2023. Photo credit: WHO Somalia/I.Taxta19 October 2023, Mogadishu, Somalia – High-level political support to stop poliomyelitis, boost immunity to other vaccine-preventable diseases and strengthen health systems in Somalia has been renewed and reinforced. This follows a series of meetings between the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, His Excellency Mr Hamza Abdi Barre; representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); and a delegation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation led by Dr Chris Elias, President of the Global Development Division. Ms Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, also joined the discussions.

Dr Chris Elias, who is also Chair of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Polio Oversight Board, and polio team members took part in a half-day technical consultation with the Federal Ministry of Health. The aim was to review progress, assess barriers and determine how to advance the march towards a polio-free world.

Under the leadership of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, the Prime Minister remains strongly committed to efforts that protect Somalia’s children from outbreaks of polio, measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases and that ensure increased outreach across the country to vaccinate mothers and zero-dose children under the Expanded Programme on Immunization.

While extending appreciation for the work and commitment of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA in strengthening immunization, the Prime Minister called upon the Foundation and the health partners “to extend support beyond polio eradication, especially in the area of finding durable solutions to break the cycle of chronic humanitarian emergencies and resulting food crisis.” H.E. Mr Hamza Abdi Barre further urged the organizations to extend their support in the areas of “climate change adaptation, food security and human capital development.” He added: “Such a comprehensive approach will strengthen health systems in a way that improves health and well-being of Somalis.”

Somalia is facing one of the world’s longest running outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2. Since the outbreak began in 2017, the virus has paralysed 32 children in the country and spread to Ethiopia and Kenya. Ending this outbreak is a priority for Somalia and its partners, including GPEI, the core partners of which include WHO, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

“I would like to congratulate the Government of Somalia and our partners for the progress towards stopping polio, commitment to introducing pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines, and continued commitment to control cholera,” said Dr Chris Elias. “The Polio Oversight Board looks forward to continued high-level government leadership to end polio and emphasizes the importance of taking an integrated, whole-of-government approach to address climate-induced health emergencies, including polio outbreaks.”

Both WHO and UNICEF reiterated their commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Government of Somalia and their fellow GPEI partners, and to deliver on-the-ground programmatic support that will yield results.

“Over the past year, my team and I have been part of the implementation of the Somalia Emergency Action Plan (SEAP) and we have seen what is possible when a critical review of programming is followed by renewed collaboration and support from all stakeholders,” said Dr Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHO Representative to Somalia. “We’re now implementing SEAP II, and I am confident that our efforts, led by the Government of Somalia and dedicated health workers at all levels, will deliver real improvements in health outcomes for Somalia’s children.”

“So far this year, the Government, WHO, UNICEF and partners have reached an estimated 4 million children with at least 2 doses of the polio vaccine in an effort to eradicate poliomyelitis from Somalia,” said Ms Wafaa Saeed, UNICEF Representative in Somalia. “With the El Niño effect increasing the rains and severe flooding, disease outbreak is imminent. Getting children vaccinated is the surest way to protect them from life-threatening and debilitating childhood diseases. Vaccines are safe, effective and free. We are thankful for this partnership and the support from donors that enables us to aim to reach every child.”

Media contacts

Fouzia Bano, Communications Officer, WHO Somalia
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Lisa Hill, Communications Specialist, UNICEF Somalia
Mobile: +25 26 13 64 26 23
Email: هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Related links

https://www.emro.who.int/somalia/news/making-strides-for-somalias-children-working-to-close-the-longest-variant-poliovirus-outbreak-in-the-region.html 

A group of health professionals trained on mental health and psychosocial support in Dhusamareb, Galmudug State. Photo credit: WHO Somalia/A. Mohamud

10 October 2023, Mogadishu, Somalia – The World Health Organization (WHO) Somalia Country Office is supporting the Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services to observe the World Mental Health Day 2023. This year’s theme- w “Mental health is a universal human right” is a stark reminder that in a country frequently affected by conflict and crisis and having a high burden of mental health disorder, everyone, everywhere suffering from mental health illness has the right to seek and receive quality mental health care. Multiple events are being run in parallel in Mogadishu and in capital cities of Somalia’s federal member states under the slogan “Our minds, our rights”.

WHO estimates that 10% of people worldwide experience mental health issues. This figure may rise to as much as 20% in countries that are prone to war and conflict, such as Somalia, where violence has infiltrated every aspect of society. Mental health conditions also affect a growing number of adolescents and young people. In one of the recent studies carried out jointly by WHO, the Somali National University and the Federal Ministry of Health amongst 713 people (age range between 25 to 56 years) and conducted in three districts, it was found out that the prevalence of mental disorders was high (76.9%) as well as substance use disorders (50.6%). This shows that the young people in suffer from higher burden of mental health illness than was previously estimated.

WHO advocates for mental health as a basic human right for all by promoting the idea that everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks; the right to available, accessible, acceptable and good quality care; and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community.

WHO continues to support the Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services and local partners to ensure that mental health is valued, promoted and protected, and that urgent action is taken so that everyone can exercise their human rights and access the quality mental health care they need. This includes efforts to strengthen an integrated, multisectoral response through evidence-based and achievable plans that promote the identification, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of mental and neurological disorders, with respect for human rights and social protection. This approach aligns with both Somalia’s Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS) 2020 and WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme.

“Only an estimated 5% of people with mental disorders contact psychiatric professionals owing to cultural stigma associated with mental illness in Somalia. Therefore, much more work is needed to understand the overall burden of mental disorders in the country and make basic, good quality mental health care widely available,” observed the Dr Mahmud, Director of Hudur Hospital.

In June and July 2023, WHO supported the Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services to train 50 health professionals in the regional hospitals of Hudur, South West State, and Dhusamareb, Galmudug State. It also helped the state ministries to develop an operational referral system for tertiary health care facilities, which will connect communities with the available mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS). By August, the newly trained workforce had begun to administer services at their respective health facilities, thus expanding the network of mental health care in the 2 regions.

“The training was a crucial part of integrating mental health into primary health care and is beneficial for health professionals, but a lot still needs to be done to raise awareness among local communities to help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Fewer people are being chained, but even now, very few people opt to consult the available practitioners owing to societal pressures. We need to address this hesitation, especially among the younger generation,” summarized Dr Saed of Dhusamareb Hospital, who attended the WHO-administered training on MHPSS.

WHO-supported trainings are helping to expand and enrich the network of MHPSS professionals in Somalia. In the longer term, the plan is to establish institutional training up to the level of a psychology degree course. WHO continues to work with its partners to mobilize the necessary resources to realize this long-term plan.

For more information, please contact:

Fouzia Bano
Communications Officer,
WHO Somalia Country
OfficeEmail:  هذا البريد محمى من المتطفلين. تحتاج إلى تشغيل الجافا سكريبت لمشاهدته.

Related links:

• Making mental health care for all a reality in Somalia
• International Happiness Day: a mental health approach
• Mental health in emergencies
• Mental health and substance use: mhGAP approach