Essential aid restores hope for flood-impacted families in Somalia

Strength and compassion of Women in Somalia.

Somalia's maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world.

Ayan used to have seven children, but one of them died in the floods. Ayan’s story reveals the heartbreaking reality faced by Somali families after devastating floods. Ayan, full of compassion and resilience for her children found Medair support, to get her children health and nutrition services.

“I used to have seven children but one of them died in the floods”, Ayan laments as she tenderly strokes the head of her sick son, Omar, with tears in her eyes. Even months later, the mother can hardly bring herself to talk about the tragedy. About a year ago, heavy rains during the so-called “Deyr” rainy season caused devastating floods in southern Somalia, forcing the farmer and her family, like many others, to flee their home.

"When the floods started, we had to save our lives. We took the children. My brother helped me. Our little farm was flooded, there was a lot of water. We had to flee and could not take any of our belongings. One of my children was young and underestimated the height of the water. The child could not swim and fell into the water and died in the flood. My husband divorced me because of what had happened. In shock, we arrived at an informal settlement where we tried to find shelter, but there were already many displaced families and there was an outbreak of cholera. So, we moved to another settlement."

A crisis marked by climate shocks

Natural disasters such as floods and droughts are among the main causes of the humanitarian crisis in Southern Somalia. This year, one-third of the county’s population of 5.98 million need humanitarian aid. The humanitarian community requires $1.59 billion to reach the targeted 5.2 million people with aid, but as of 31 October, this plan is only 39.6% funded.

"Years ago, we had better seasons," Ayan continues. "When it rained, we would grow crops and survive. But the rains stopped and there was a long drought. It was not possible to cultivate, and I had to work in other people's houses, cleaning and washing clothes to survive with my family. And now there are floods, and the water forced us to flee and leave everything behind.”

Through it all, Ayan has had to take on full parental responsibility, much like a single mother. She has been sustaining her children’s lives alone during times of crisis.

From 2020 to 2023, a historic drought, worsened by climate factors like “El Niño”, led to significant agricultural and livestock losses. Flooding then compounded these impacts, affecting 2.5 million people, inundating farmlands, and damaging essential infrastructure, including water, sanitation, and health facilities.  

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Malnutrition on the rise

While large numbers of displaced people have continued to flood urban and peri-urban areas and intensify pressure on already overstretched resources, food insecurity has also worsened. Malnutrition rates are especially high among children and pregnant women, as access to food and health services remains limited, particularly for displaced populations. Flooding has worsened water and sanitation conditions, increasing waterborne disease risks that further strain nutritional health. In southern Somalia, 1.6 million children are at risk of acute malnutrition.

For Ayan’s son Omar, this risk has become a life-threatening reality.  

“I have six children without a father. I would do anything for them, but I need help. My son is malnourished and sick.”

As a mother, it breaks the heart to see a child suffer, but like other, mothers Ayan refused to give up hope.

She found help in one of the health and nutrition facilities that Medair supports in Southern Somalia.

Hope amidst crisis

Medair's community-based approach saved Omar’s life. Medair works in health facilities and in communities, with communities. A network of over 1,400 trained volunteers visits households to promote health, nutrition, and hygiene, and refer people to supported health and nutrition facilities. Outreach teams make fortnightly visits to remote communities to deliver much-needed supplies, identify red flags that indicate children are in urgent need of health care, and increase the use of services at health facilities. Together, these two approaches have a major impact on improving the health of the community and the sustainability of the impact.  

At the nutrition clinic, Omar was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition and admitted to the Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Programme (OTP). In an OTP, children receive Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), which is highly nutritious, energy dense and easy to consume. This therapeutic food helps children regain weight quickly and rebuild their immune systems, which have been severely compromised by malnutrition. In addition, OTPs provide regular monitoring of the child's weight, health checks and essential health advice to caregivers. This enables early intervention and prevents the condition from worsening, which can lead to life-threatening complications.

Ayan shares:
"In your facility I find free services and it’s safe to come for treatment. This is my first time here and I’m happy to find help for Omar. I’m confident that my child will make a full recovery after being treated. This is my only chance to get access to services and therapeutic food for my son.”

Like other women, Ayan sustains life through crises.   Above all, she cares for her children despite all the possible challenges and tries to find solutions to their sufferings.

The mother receives not only therapeutic food, but also free medication to treat Omar's minor medical complications. Thankful and relieved, she leaves the clinic, knowing that help will be available whenever she needs it.  

This support is invaluable to mothers like Ayan, who embody the strength and compassion that sustain life through crises. These women are already doing everything they can to keep their families healthy. Knowing that they can count on Medair for essential treatment and preventative care gives them a sense of relief, hope, and empowerment. Medair's work contributes to to saving lives – but it also reassures parents that they are not alone, and that their children have a chance to thrive even in the most difficult circumstances.

By supporting Medair, you make it possible for these vital services to reach the most vulnerable families, giving mothers like Ayan the support they need to ensure a better future for their children. Let’s not forget these women who, through their unwawering compassion and resilience, are the true heroes sustaining life trough crises.

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Names marked with * have been changed.

Note: Some names have been changed to protect the protect privacy.  

This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organization.