Somalia

Maryam*, 40, is raising eleven children in Bander Beyla District, Puntland, where two years of declining fish catches left the family in debt and several children out of school. Through a Save the Children project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, she received 90 dollars a month for four months, allowing her to buy food, store water and return children to class. She is now a member of a community early warning committee, helping neighbours prepare for climate shocks and calling for continued support so her children can stay in school.

About half of children under 5 in Somalia are facing acute malnutrition as poor rains and rising costs drive up hunger levels, with risk of famine announced for the first time in four years.

In a new report, When Aid Disappears, Childhood Disappears Too, Save the Children reveals how the collapse of international aid funding to Somalia in 2025 may soon lead to catastrophic outcomes for children not seen since the 2011 famine, which killed over 257,000 people.

Eight-year-old Ali* and his family were forced to flee their home due to a prolonged drought and conflict. In his new environment, he lost his daily rhythm when he could no longer go to school. The child-friendly space brought security, friends and joy into his life that had long since disappeared.

Fuel prices in Mogadishu surged 150% in March, from $0.60 to $1.50 per litre, with many imported food items doubling in retail price in just two weeks. Somalia's electricity supply, which relies heavily on diesel generators, also saw sharp cost increases, with pressures felt by households as well as schools and hospitals.

One in three people are facing severe food shortages in Somalia as worsening drought, conflict, and soaring food prices drive up hunger levels, with the situation nearly as bad as in 2022 when the country was on the brink of famine.

Four major child-focused agencies launched the Joining Forces Somalia Chapter on 11 February 2026, uniting efforts to strengthen child protection laws, end violence against children, and amplify children's voices in policy decisions. Save the Children Somalia chairs the alliance, which will advocate for passage of key child rights legislation and conduct national research on the situation of Somalia's children.

In July 2025, a diphtheria outbreak swept through Puntland, claiming 27 lives and infecting 482 people. Save the Children and the Puntland Ministry of Health, with funding from Gavi, launched a rapid emergency response deploying 35 mobile vaccination teams across four hotspot districts. The intervention reached over 48,000 individuals, immunising more than 40,000 children and successfully containing the outbreak. This is the story of the health workers, parents, and communities who came together to protect their children from a deadly but preventable disease.

Children in Somalia are facing a catastrophic hunger crisis after four consecutive failed rainy seasons completely exhausted food reserves in several regions with the next few months critical to prevent avoidable deaths.

In drought-prone Burao District, two women's lives changed when early warning systems and community training gave them the knowledge and voice to protect their families. Nasra now leads disaster preparedness in her community, while Zainab, who once lost everything to drought, can now act before crisis strikes. Their story shows how empowering women with timely information transforms entire communities.