Five Years of Care: How Sustained Health Services Helped Safia Raise a Healthy Family

Safia* is a 26-year-old mother of four; two boys and two girls, ranging in age from five years to four months. Her youngest son baby Zubeir*, is still breastfeeding. Her home is located in a village under Galmudug state of Somalia, and they live in a modest two-room structure made of stone and corrugated iron, located at the far edge of town. 

Under the financial support of the World Food Program (WFP) project, Save the Children provides free health and nutrition services to vulnerable communities. For the past five years, Safia has been a regular visitor to a health center supported by Save the Children seeking care for herself and her children.

Safia has received counselling services such as infant young child feeding (IYCF), She also received antenatal and postnatal care, giving birth to two of her children at the health center—one aged four months and the other five years old. Today, Safia continues to breastfeed her four-month-old baby Zubeir and has remained a consistent visitor to the health center, where she has delivered two of her children. 

Additionally, all of Safia’s children have benefitted from health care services such as scheduled vaccinations, deworming, and vitamin A supplements. She received crucial support through the Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programme (TSFP) at the health center. This program provided her with three months' distribution of ready-to-use supplementary feeding (RUSF) for treating moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). She expresses deep gratitude for the continued support provided by the health center, including healthcare, nutrition assistance, hygiene kits, and educational sessions. 

Safia’s story:

''My name is Safia. I’m 26 years old and a mother of four—two boys and two girls. My youngest baby Zubeir*, is just four months old, and I’m still breastfeeding him. I live in a small village under Galmudug state.

We raised about thirty-five goats just outside of town, and they gave us milk, meat, and sold them for cash. 

My husband worked in a shop owned by someone else, and together, we had enough to meet our basic needs. Life was stable.

Three years ago, drought hit our village. Out of the thirty-five goats that we had, we were left with only nineteen because drought affected our livestock to die.

It became hard to survive. We rely on them for milk and meat, but the income is very limited, and food is often not enough.

Two kilometers away from our home, is a health center supported by Save the Children. I have been going to the local health center for five years now—for antenatal and post-natal care, breastfeeding support, and even to give birth. I delivered two of my children at the health center. 

One day, a mother-led volunteer came to check the health of pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five in our village. She visited our home and there she measured my arm and told me I was moderately malnourished.

She advised me to go to the health center, so I took my two youngest children and walked there. 

At the health center, they checked me and helped me improve my nutrition and support breastfeeding.

I had several visits to the health center for a period of three months and slowly my weight increased. I felt much better. The treatment was consistent, and I didn’t miss a single visit.

I am truly grateful for the support we have received at the health center as a family. They help us not only with nutrition and health services but also with hygiene kits and education. 

It’s been a difficult journey, but I’m hopeful for the future. I want my children to be healthy and to grow up safe.''

Background / Project information

In the district of Adado, Save the Children under the fund of WFP project provides treatment of malnutrition services in the form of supplementary, and prevention method through screening of under-five children, referral of children with danger signs, IYCF promotions, and health education promotion sessions to the community.

Save the Children (SCI) has over 50 years’ experience supporting integrated health, nutrition, education, child protection and WASH programs in Somalia. Nutrition in SC is an important child survival sector, which delivers curative and prevention nutrition services across Somali country particularly in South Central Somalia region, through establishing fixed and mobile nutrition Centers and deploying qualified health professionals. SCI is currently implementing in Galmudug State including Bahdo town under Adado district an Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding (OTP) program and Infant and Young Child Feeding IYCF program. The nutrition program aims to treat acute malnutrition in pregnant and lactating women (PLW) and children under the age of five.

The project is an integrated humanitarian aid for vulnerable groups in Bahdo HC under Adado district and contributes to supporting SC implementation of the TSFP, BSFP and SC services in the Adado and Herale districts of Galmudug State. The program targets children aged 6-59 months, pregnant and lactating women suffering from moderate acute malnutrition. Along with other health and nutrition medical support, such as OTP, the program provides nutritional support and rehabilitation to individuals with moderate malnutrition, as well as prevent nutritional status from deteriorating from moderate to severe wasting