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Somalia

Faadhumo attends a school run by Trócaire in Gedo, Somalia.

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Overview

Ravaged by conflict, drought and hunger, Somalia is one of the poorest and most fragile countries in the world.

Internal conflict has raged for almost 30 years. Large parts of South Central Somalia, where Trócaire works, is governed by armed groups, leaving an estimated 2.6 million people internally displaced.

A combination of conflict, climate change and extreme poverty has left millions of people living a daily reality of hunger.

Trócaire has been providing humanitarian support to people in Somalia since 1992. For almost 30 years we have worked with people in the Gedo region of South Central Somalia.

Our team of doctors and healthcare workers provide vital support to 19,000 people each month, while our schools educate over 4,000 children.

Somalia

Population:
15 million

Life expectancy:
57 years

Poverty:
69% live in poverty

People internally displaced:
2.6 million

Impact in 2022

19,000

people treated at Trócaire health centres every month

218,000

number of people reached with humanitarian support

1992

the year Trócaire established operations in Somalia

Contact Details

Paul Healy

Country Director

Why we are working in Somalia

Somalia is one of the poorest countries of the world. It is also a very complex and fragile country, which had no effective government from 1991 until 2012.

Over those 20 years, there was extreme violence and lawlessness, with almost all of its social, economic and political structures breaking down. The new government has brought hope that Somalia will become more stable but the country still faces major challenges.

There has been food insecurity, climate disaster and increased disease in recent years. Violence remains a significant threat, particularly in South Central Somalia, with millions of people still displaced.

Millions of people go hungry each day in Somalia. In 2011, an estimated 250,000 people died of famine.

Rates of maternal death and infant mortality are among the highest in the world.

Millions of people go hungry each day in Somalia. In 2011, an estimated 250,000 people died of famine.

Rates of maternal death and infant mortality are among the highest in the world.

How are we responding

Trócaire began working in Somalia in 1992 when the country was experiencing famine. We established our programmes in the Gedo region, where we have stayed ever since. Our long-standing presence means we are trusted by people in the region. The primary focus of our work in Somalia is providing healthcare, particularly to new or expectant mothers.

Trócaire works in five programme areas in Somalia

1. Healthcare

Trócaire operates the only hospital and clinic network in Gedo. Our 24 healthcare facilities, which include four main hospitals, treat an average of 19,000 people every month. These facilities provide vital healthcare for people experiencing malnutrition and illness, as well as giving pregnant women a safe place to give birth.

People in Somalia are at risk of disease and illness due to poor sanitation, irregular food supply and inadequate medical facilities. Cultural practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and unskilled home deliveries of babies make Somalia one of the most dangerous places in the world for pregnant women.

Targeting over 220,000 women, children and men, we partner with the local district health boards to provide free primary healthcare through three hospitals. We have three TB treatment centres, eight mother-child health centres, five outreach teams, 12 oral therapeutic sites, four stabilisation centres and 50 health posts.

Services offered include maternal care (antenatal and postnatal) and immunisation. Through skilled traditional birth attendants (TBAs), we ensure safe facility-based deliveries as well as birth registration for children.
2. Education

Trócaire supports 15 schools in providing quality primary education to 4060 children. Partnering with community education committees (CECs), we ensure that schools are administered efficiently, teaching and learning materials (books, pencils, chalk and other stationery) are provided, and teachers are trained on curriculum development.

Trócaire also focuses on increasing the enrolment and retention of girls at school by providing Girls’ Clubs, which are extracurricular groups that help girls to support each other to address common issues that might otherwise lead to dropping out.
3. Nutrition

Malnutrition rates in Somalia are among the highest in the world. An estimated 903,000 children are acutely malnourished. Of these, around 150,000 are severely malnourished.

Trócaire is working to reduce malnutrition through the screening and treatment for children under five years and providing curative nutrition supplements. The programme also targets changing behaviours of pregnant and nursing mothers in feeding practices such as breastfeeding, complementary feeding, good child care practices and good hygiene. Trócaire is also training mothers and care-givers on early identification of acute malnutrition in children, ensuring early and timely referrals to nutrition centres for treatment.
4. Humanitarian Response

Somalia resides in a permanent state of humanitarian crisis. This crisis is exacerbated by regular droughts which can leave millions without food.

Trócaire responds to surges in humanitarian need through emergency life-saving health and nutrition services, provision of food baskets for affected families, WASH services (water, sanitation and hygiene) and the distribution of non-food items and emergency shelter kits for displaced people in Gedo.

In 2017, for example, we worked with Irish Aid to provide 1,600 families with shelter, utensils, blankets, jerrycans and lanterns among other things.
5. Protection

Trócaire provides specialised health responses to sexual gender-based violence (SGBV) including management of complications arising from FGM, psychosocial support for survivors and the clinical management of rape. Displacement, conflict and protracted crisis has created huge protection risks for women and girls increasing the incidence of intimate partner violence, early and forced marriage and sexual violence.

Highlighted Resources

Warning Remittances Lifeline

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Trócaire’s Humanitarian Policy & Strategy

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Somalia Resources

Title		Resource Type	Year
	Rebuilding Resilience through Income Generating Activities in Somalia	Policy and Programmes	29 March 2023	Download
	Humanitarian Protection Policy	Policy and Programmes	24 October 2018	Download
	Joint statement: Health and Nutrition Consortium Somalia – March 2017	Policy and Programmes	13 March 2017	Download
	Somalia’s struggle towards peace	Policy and Programmes	05 September 2013	Download

View More Resources

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Latest Somalia News

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Help thousands of families impacted by climate change this Christmas

Trócaire 23 November 2023

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Christmas

Give the Gift of Education this Christmas

Catherine Devine 16 November 2023

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How access to clean water is helping women in Somalia

Maurine Akinyi 16 October 2023

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DR Congo

4 ways Trócaire protects mental health around the world

Catherine Devine and Garry Walsh 09 October 2023

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Guatemala

Education helping build better futures for girls who featured on Trócaire’s Lenten Boxes

Catherine Devine 09 October 2023

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Somalia

How Trócaire is ending gender-based violence in Somalia

Maurine Akinyi 25 September 2023

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Somalia

Somalia: Fighting the ravages of child hunger with community health centres

Trócaire 03 August 2023

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Somalia

One Day: Women in Somalia own businesses

Trócaire 19 July 2023

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Somalia

How baby Mohamed’s life was transformed thanks to support from EU Humanitarian Aid in Somalia

Trócaire 18 May 2023

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Guatemala

Where are they now? Education helping build better futures for the children who featured on Trócaire’s Lenten Boxes

Catherine Devine 03 April 2023

...

Somalia

World Water Day 2023: 8 ways that Trócaire is providing access to safe water in Somalia

Trócaire 22 March 2023

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Lent

Mother’s Day 2023: Ambiyo’s love for her children gives her hope for the future

Trócaire 15 March 2023

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Lent

Fact Check: Is hunger in Somalia getting worse?

Catherine Devine 13 March 2023

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Lent

Trόcaire marks 50th anniversary with launch of Lenten Appeal for Somalia

Niamh McCarthy 21 February 2023

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Lent

Meet the Mahat family from Somalia on this year’s Trócaire Lent Box

Miriam Donohoe 21 February 2023

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Somalia

Farhan: the story of one child in Somalia

Trócaire 11 January 2023

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Climate action

Famine or not we can’t ignore that hundreds of thousands are in crisis

Colm Byrne 20 December 2022

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Christmas

2022 – Looking back on our journey for global justice

Caoimhe de Barra 20 December 2022

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Christmas

Help thousands of families facing hunger this Christmas with the gift of a Family Food Basket

Catherine Devine 28 November 2022

....

Trocaire changing lives of thousands in Somalia with support from the European Union

Trocaire 03 November 2022

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Ethiopia

Explainer: Drought and hunger in Somalia, Ethiopia and Horn of Africa

Catherine Devine 26 October 2022

...

Horn of Africa

SOMALIA: TOO SLOW. TOO LITTLE. TOO LATE

Trócaire 19 October 2022

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Horn of Africa

Trócaire warns of devastating humanitarian disaster unfolding in Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Trócaire 18 October 2022

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Ethiopia

World Food Day 2022: How can we help solve hunger in the world?

Catherine Devine 13 October 2022

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Irish Emergency Alliance

Tommy Tiernan in Somalia: We can do better – and we must

Trócaire 19 September 2022

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Irish Emergency Alliance

Trócaire CEO Caoimhe de Barra reflects on the hunger crisis in Somalia after a recent visit accompanied by Tommy Tiernan

Caoimhe de Barra 15 September 2022

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Horn of Africa

5 things you need to know about famine

Trócaire 06 September 2022

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Horn of Africa

Trócaire CEO calls on Ireland and rich nations to urgently scale up funding for Horn of Africa as UN warns famine “at the door”

Trócaire 05 September 2022

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Somalia

Derry couple’s 66th wedding anniversary benefits families facing crisis in Somalia

Trócaire 01 September 2022

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Somalia

Trócaire’s Maurine Akinyi shares what it means to be an African woman: “We are leading Somalia’s health service”

Maurine Akinyi 31 August 2022

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Somalia

Severe drought in Somalia having a catastrophic effect on children’s education

Maurine Akinyi 27 July 2022

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Somalia

My daughter didn’t make it. She didn’t have enough food. The life left her’

Miriam Donohoe 11 July 2022

...

Somalia

President Michael D Higgins: We cannot let famine in the Horn of Africa slip from our agenda

Michael D Higgins 28 June 2022

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Somalia

Hunger in Somalia is forcing hundreds of thousands of people, including mothers like Buhoy, from their homes

Miriam Donohoe 20 June 2022

...

Ethiopia

Horn of Africa crisis – Irish charities come together to Sound the Alarm as famine looms

Trócaire 14 June 2022

...

Somalia

How Trócaire nurses are helping change lives of women with obstetric fistula in Somalia with the support of UNICEF and the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Habiba Ali Maalim 12 May 2022

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Somalia

“Trócaire is helping mothers like me survive difficult births in Somalia”

Europe Maalim 03 May 2022

...

Somalia

Baby Mohamed – a beacon of hope amidst one of the world’s “forgotten” crises

Trócaire 07 April 2022

...

Gifts

Spread the love this Christmas with a gift of water – and help keep communities in Africa safe and young girls in school

Trócaire 16 November 2021

...

Malawi

United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021: An opportunity for global leaders to make real change

Catherine Devine 21 September 2021

...

Somalia

Asli’s story of survival in drought-stricken Somalia

Trócaire 08 September 2021

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Covid 19

Mass vaccinations in Somalia should be steered by success of polio eradication campaign – Dr. Abdi Tari Ali

Dr. Abdi Tari Ali 25 August 2021

...

Somalia

Your support this Christmas will help keep Somali children in school

Trócaire 06 November 2020

For the many children living under these conditions, going to school is no longer an option. Trócaire has been working ...

Somalia

Success in Somalia: From community health worker to business woman

Trócaire 28 July 2020

...

Covid 19

ISOLATION WARDS & OXYGEN: PREPARING FOR COVID IN SOMALIA

Trócaire 16 April 2020

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Covid 19

Trócaire thanks Irish Aid for vital COVID-19 support

Trócaire 16 April 2020

...

Humanitarian

Halima’s story : surviving Somalia’s conflict

Trócaire 20 December 2019

What strikes you at first sight is how young she looks. However, her deep-set brown eyes tell a different story. They te...

Humanitarian

Helping people living through conflict in Somalia

Trócaire 04 December 2019

...

Somalia

Make a New Year’s Resolution that really matters

Trócaire 01 November 2019

Ruth Tabu photographed outside her hut in Bidi Bidi refugee camp in northern Uganda, where Trócaire is assisting refuge...

Somalia

Female Community Influencers Saving Lives in Somalia

Trócaire 23 July 2019

...

Humanitarian

Trócaire responding to floods in Kenya and Somalia

Trócaire 10 May 2018

Trócaire is responding and will be providing food, water and other aid to 12,000 people over the coming weeks. Th...

Climate change

Failed rains leave Somalis fearful

Trócaire 04 January 2018

A camp for displaced people in Dollow, Somalia, where Trócaire is providing emergency aid. (Photo: Amunga Eshuchi)...

Humanitarian

East Africa drought crisis continues out of the media spotlight

Trócaire 21 November 2017

Earlier this year, we launched a humanitarian appeal to support people affected by the ongoing drought crisis in East Af...

Humanitarian

Irish Aid ships 75 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Somalia

Trócaire 07 November 2017

Somalia is the world’s most fragile state. Decades of conflict and recurrent drought have forced millions from their h...

Somalia

Providing vocational skills training to marginalised young people in Gedo, Somalia

Amina Ahmed, Trócaire Somalia 24 October 2017

...

Somalia

Imagine if you had never had your first day at school

Trócaire 21 September 2017

Somalia is one of the most inaccessible countries on earth and children are growing up through war, drought and famine. ...

Ethiopia

Public donations help scale up response to hunger crisis in East Africa

Trócaire 04 September 2017

...

Ireland

Honorary degree recognises Sally O’Neill’s contribution to international development

David O Hare 06 July 2017

...

Somalia

Today’s humanitarian emergencies must learn from Somalia’s history

Trócaire 23 June 2017

Trócaire has worked in Somalia since the famine of 1992 and it is one of the most difficult situations we have ever fac...

Ethiopia

East Africa hunger crisis in 5 stark numbers

Trócaire 26 April 2017

Prolonged drought is causing a widespread hunger crisis across East African countries. Somalia, South Sudan and parts...

Humanitarian

Cholera and hunger threaten Somalia

Trócaire 21 March 2017

“I was on my knees fixing IV drips to people’s arms as they lay on the ground,” said Abdi Tari Ali, who works for ...

Climate change

70 million hit by extreme food shortages

Trócaire 16 February 2017

Extreme food shortages are occurring across a number of African countries, with large areas of East Africa worst affecte...

Somalia

Somali Government pledges to pass legislation banning Female Genital Mutilation

Trócaire 15 August 2016

Trócaire and fellow Irish charity Ifrah Foundation took part in a high level conference on FGM...

Humanitarian

Award recognises Trócaire’s healthcare work in Somalia

Trócaire 17 June 2016

Trócaire Somalia has received an award acknowledging its health care delivery in Gedo Region for the last two deca...

Resource Rights

Recovering from TB and malnutrition in Somalia

Trócaire 03 May 2016

Fardoza sits on her father’s arms, looking on as he talks with a doctor from Luuq hospital in Gedo, Somalia. She’s o...

Somalia

Avoiding home births to reduce maternal deaths in Gedo, Somalia

Trócaire 22 December 2015

Caption: Traditional Birth Attendant, Binta Ibrahim, with Fatuma Kassim, a new mother she helped refer to deliver at the...

Somalia

Life at Malmaley Primary School, Somalia

Trócaire 02 September 2014

“It is my hope and prayer to see a stable Somalia where children can progress in their education and teachers are ...

Access to Justice

Support ‘invisible children’ this Human Rights Day

Trócaire 10 December 2013

Today, 49% of children in the world’s poorest countries are denied formal birth registration. Caption...

Somalia

Khalid’s Story: Helping Somali children chart a new future through the classroom

Trócaire 29 October 2013

by Faith Kasina, Communications Officer, Somalia In a striped red and black jersey and oversized blue jeans, Khal...

Somalia

Starving to death in a world of plenty

Trócaire 20 July 2011

Sitting behind a table facing a crowded room of journalists, Mark Bowden, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for So...

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Somalia

Overview

<img src="https://www.trocaire.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/somalia.png" alt="Flag of Somalia"/> Somalia

Impact in 2022

19,000

people treated at Trócaire health centres every month

218,000

number of people reached with humanitarian support

1992

the year Trócaire established operations in Somalia

Contact Details

Paul Healy

Why we are working in Somalia

How are we responding

Trócaire works in five programme areas in Somalia

Highlighted Resources

Somalia Resources

Rebuilding Resilience through Income Generating Activities in Somalia

Humanitarian Protection Policy

Joint statement: Health and Nutrition Consortium Somalia – March 2017

Somalia’s struggle towards peace

View More Resources

Latest Somalia News

Funding Partners in Somalia

Irish Aid

Catholic Relief Services

Canadian Foodgrains Bank

Canadian Catholic Organisation for Development and Peace

UK Department for International Development (DFID)

European Union

Electric Aid

Kindermissionswerk

Secours Catholique

Misereor

UNICEF

WHO

Start Fund Network

UNOCHA

CORDAID

Local Implementing Partners

District Health Boards (DHBs)

Ministry of Health

Centre for Research and Integrated Development (CeRID)

Somalia Humanitarian Relief Action (SHRA)

Sedhuro

Somalia