Somalia

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.

Less than a third of people needing food assistance in Somalia received support in October with worsening conditions prompting the country to declare the first national drought emergency in nearly three years.

Three horrific acts of violence against children in Somalia in recent weeks are highlighting the urgent need for the Somali government to approve and implement legislation that protects children.

Reactive Statement on Approval of Somalia’s National Independent Human Rights Commission

The landmark ratification of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child this week means the government of Somalia is now legally obliged to align national laws and policies with the provisions of the charter that was established 35 years ago.

The figures reveal that 4.4 million people, or just under a quarter of the population, are now expected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity by the end of 2025.

Over 60 children from 16 African countries are urging their heads of state at the Africa Climate Summit this week to consider their views and experiences in shaping climate policies, with children in most of the continent found to be at high or extremely high risk of the impacts of climate change.