Malnourished Children Recovering Well at Somaliland Stabilisation Centre

[Jacaylbaro]

For 22-year-old Kaltuun Husein, daily life in eastern Somaliland once centered around caring for her young children and tending the family's livestock.

 

But consecutive years of drought changed everything. "Before we had 80 sheep and five camels," she says. "Now we only have 10 sheep left."

 

In Somaliland, owning livestock such as camels, goats, and sheep provides families with economic security. A Somali proverb says, "He who does not own a camel lives under the protection of others." But drought has decimated the animal population, especially in eastern Somaliland, leaving families with very limited sources of food or ways to earn an income. "The situation now is very different from before," says Kaltuun. "Most people have lost their animals and... life is very difficult."

 

Last month, Kaltuun's youngest child, Hibo, fell ill. "We hoped she would get better, but she got worse and worse," says Kaltuun.

 

At the nearest health facility in the Sool Region where she lives , they were told that, in her condition, Hibo would need to be treated at the Stabilisation Centre in Burao city. "By the time we got to Burao, my daughter was so weak she could not cry," says Kaltuun. "I thought she would die."

 

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