The drought in the Horn of Africa is over, but millions of people continue to suffer the fallout of the prolonged disaster.
The worst drought the region has experienced in 70 years has given way to wildly unpredictable weather, exacerbated by El Nino. Despite the recent rainfall, conditions across the Horn of Africa remain erratic and continue to deteriorate.
In Somalia alone, climatic shocks, coupled with ongoing conflict, left an estimated 6.9 million people – almost 2 in 5 Somalis – in need of humanitarian assistance at the start of 2024.
A difficult journey
Somalia has been battered by extreme weather in recent years. With climate change making the seasonal cycles of dry and wet conditions more intense.
The impact on Somalia’s population is grave. Livelihoods have been destroyed and damage to shelters and homes has contributed to a situation where there are currently 3.8 million people displaced across the country.
Among those displaced are Najah and her husband, who were forced from their hometown of Harada, after drought killed their livestock and left them with no income.
Along with their 3 young children, the family travelled 70km on foot to Ismail Hussein camp for internally displaced peoples (IDPs) in the Togdheer region of northern Somalia. They have been living there for 4 years, during which time, another 2 children have been welcomed into their family.
“After losing our livestock 4 years ago, we struggle to get enough food. We relied on my husband’s daily income and sometimes we depended upon humanitarian aid.” Najah, 29, says.
“Healthcare and sanitation services are scarce in rural areas, including our camp. We used to travel long distances to access water, and education is also a major concern for my family.”
Najah and her family are among the 54% of households who live below the poverty line. The poorest in Somalia struggle to access food and critical services, such as water, health and education.
Drought response
Around 18 months ago, Najah came into contact with Islamic Relief’s Drought Response and Recovery in the Eastern Horn of Africa (DREEHA) project.
The DREEHA project is a multi-pronged initiative that responds to the emergency needs of vulnerable communities in the Horn of Africa, with a special focus on addressing water scarcity.
Under the DREEHA initiative, a new berkad (a water reservoir used to collect water during wet seasons for use in dry seasons) was constructed in the camp. Where previously it suffered with dangerously low levels of water following 5 failed rainy seasons, the camp now has access to a replenished water supply.
“Water scarcity was one of the primary reasons we fled our previous home 4 years ago.” Najah says.
“Now, with the newly constructed barked, our worries about water will vanish, and our anxiety will lessen. We used to travel long distances for water, but now it will be less than 300 metres away.”
Through the DREEHA project, Najah also received livestock, providing the family with new ways to generate income.
“The impact of Islamic Relief to our life is honestly enormous, they gave us hope when we were living [through a] severe humanitarian crisis. They provided us 14 goats for reproduction purposes.
“We have rebuilt our life from the ground up because of the unwavering support we received from Islamic Relief. I want to sincerely thank Islamic Relief and its donors for the generous support they have provided to us.”
More help is needed
The DREEHA project has so far delivered support to close to 100,000 people.
The berkad in Ismail Hussein camp is 1 of 5 built in the Togdheer region. Other strands of the project have seen Islamic Relief provide seeds, livestock and training to farmers across northern Somalia to help them rebuild their livelihoods.
But with 4.3 million people in Somalia unsure where their next meal is coming from, more support is needed.
Through programmes like DREEHA, we have helped more than 1.82 million people across the region.
We are providing people with food and cash, we are improving water supplies by repairing and building boreholes, or transporting in clean water where there is no other option. We are also conducting sessions training local health workers how to treat severely malnourished children and supporting nutrition clinics.
As conditions continue to deteriorate in the Horn of Africa, more help is needed, however.
