32-year-old Fadumo Mohamed is from Lower Shabelle, a region in southern Somalia, not far from the capital Mogadishu. Named after the river that farming communities have relied on for centuries, the area is a microcosm for the multi-layered crisis that has been battering Somalia and its people since the 1990s. The situation in Lower Shabelle …
Nurto from Baidoa in Somalia is only 30 years old—but already on the verge of giving up. Conflict has driven her from her home, she is in pain and her father’s death is weighing heavily on her. She will get through this, but she doesn’t know that yet. Meanwhile, 28-year-old Hakumo, whose childhood in southwestern …
It’s not easy being a woman in Somalia. Life is shaped by overwhelming challenges beyond her control: severe drought, depleted crops, protracted conflict, toxic gender norms, inadequate education for girls and much more. Risking her life in childbirth should not be one more worry on that list—which is why we’re working to expand lifesaving maternal …
Unpredictable rainfall patterns across Somalia often result in drought and floods, leaving the population without access to safe drinking water. A quarter-century of war and conflict has left Somalia’s pre-war water infrastructure and once-expansive irrigation and canal systems in disrepair. With only two perennial rivers, Somalia’s agricultural riverine communities are increasingly affected by extremes of …
To commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8, International Medical Corps held awareness events in Mogadishu, as well as the Jowhar, Galkayo South, Abduwaq and Baidoa districts of Somalia, where our teams engaged community members to address some of the challenges faced by women and to help identify possible solutions. Issues discussed across the five …
The unfortunate myth that breast milk alone is not enough for a child’s nutritional needs is strongly embedded within Somalian society. As a result, in a nation where many mothers and children don’t have access to the healthcare and education needed to ensure a healthy pregnancy and infanthood, mothers often supplement breast milk with infant …
Meet Anfa, an 18-year-old Somali woman who recently gave birth to her first child through a treacherous journey to new motherhood. Anfa’s home of Somalia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with one out of 12 women dying from pregnancy-related complications—often because she lacks access to maternal health care. Here, …
With every new day, families fleeing hunger and violence continue to pour into Baidoa, the capital of Somalia’s Bay region, desperately seeking refuge and assistance. Baidoa hosts more than 300 camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) on its outskirts, and in these temporary settlements are more than 400,000 people. Families set up temporary shelters made …
With markets in every corner, signs of Mogadishu’s commercial pulse can be spotted everywhere in the center of town. The market near Safari Hotel, in the Zoobe Junction, is just one example: A cluster of shops and restaurants attract customers from all over. October 14th 2017 – a day that would end in devastation – …
To commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, 2018, International Medical Corps distributed dignitary kits to 40 vulnerable girls and women from an IDP camp in Mogadishu. These kits contain reusable sanitary pads, cotton underwear, laundry and bath soap, and a solar powered light. World Menstrual Hygiene Day aims to break taboos around menstruation …