Somalia: millions still face food shortages

Women queue for food aid in Somalia [Feisel Omar/Reuters courtesy of alertnet]

We are providing life-saving food to families who urgently need it.

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Although the famine in Somalia has ended, according to the UN, more than 2.3 million people are still facing severe food shortages.

“Famine” is a technical term: it is declared when at least two adults or four children per 10,000 people are dying of hunger every day and when 30% of the population is acutely malnourished. The famine that struck six regions of Somalia in 2011 was the country's first since 1992.

We are working through local partners in South Central Somalia to provide food and help people earn a living. We have provided families with monthly food vouchers so that they can purchase their own food (including maize, beans and sugar) from local traders. This project is also contributing to strengthening the local markets.

According to the UN, more than 150,000 Somalis have fled to neighbouring countries since the beginning of 2011. We are supporting refugees from Somalia in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

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Read more about our East Africa Crisis appeal>>

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