Somalia emergency

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Latest press releases 04/15/2009 Somali pirates attack second ship carrying food aid for World Vision programs 10/07/2008 Statement by 52 NGOs on rapidly deteriorating crisis in Somalia 03/25/2008 Somalia crisis deteriorates, agencies warn

Statement by 52 NGOs on the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Somalia

We, the undersigned NGOs, are extremely concerned about the devastating humanitarian crisis in Somalia. Nearly half of Somalia’s population, or 3.25 million people, are now in need of emergency aid. This is a 77 percent increase since the beginning of 2008. This number has increased dramatically over the past year due to the destructive combination of extreme insecurity, drought and record-high food prices. The situation is expected to deteriorate further, with ordinary Somalis bearing the brunt of the cost. Despite the ongoing political process we have not witnessed any lessening of the violence that continues to have a horrendous impact on civilians. In the last few weeks, renewed shelling in Mogadishu has displaced approximately 37,000 civilians from their homes. Over the past nine months, 870,000 have fled for their lives. A total of 1.1 million people are currently displaced in Somalia today. Read more ... Resources for journalists > World Vision's work in Somalia > How your audience can help > How we respond to disasters Additional resources > Reuters AlertNet > Relief Web > Other emergency responses		World Vision is delivering urgently needed food, water, medicine, cooking equipment, shelter, blankets, mosquito nets and psychosocial support to displaced people in the Bay and Bakool regions. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision Humanitarian needs may escalate in the coming weeks, with the advent of Somalia’s rainy season, a period when diarrhea and cholera present serious health risks to children. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision >> See more photos When disaster strikes, contact us for expert interviews, photos, b-roll and other resources.

Photo gallery

World Vision is responding in the Bakool and Bay regions, where some 35,000 people—half of them children—have traveled hundreds of miles to find sanctuary from the violence in the Somali capital. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision		World Vision is calling for safe humanitarian access for international aid workers so that more assistance can reach innocent civilians who are suffering from the effects of fighting, flooding and drought. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision
Fauma Hassan (right) does not know the fate of the rest of her family: “... I tried finding them but the fighting was so intense that we fled without them.” Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision		World Vision has treated dozens of patients suffering from an outbreak of acute watery diarrhea, which has already killed several children. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision
"The new arrivals from Mogadishu are living in overcrowded shanties or huts, and many didn’t have time to pack any belongings,” says Ibrahim Dima, a regional coordinator for World Vision Somalia. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision		World Vision has operated in Somalia since 1992, focusing on health, education, advocacy, food security, water and sanitation and emergency response interventions. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision
The agency’s assessment team has also observed serious cases of trauma in women and children, stemming from their war experiences in Mogadishu. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision		The victims of this renewed fighting are mostly destitute women and children who are at a high risk to all forms of abuse. Photo by Nancy Okwengu/World Vision