The ICRC in Somalia

Galgadud region of Somalia. Women fetching water from a distribution point set up by the ICRC.

In Somalia the ICRC provides emergency aid to people directly affected by armed conflict, often compounded by natural disasters, and runs extensive first-aid, medical and basic health-care programmes. It promotes respect for international humanitarian law and carries out agriculture and water projects to improve economic security and living conditions.

Highlights

Facts and Figures

Following the failure of the seasonal rains, Somalia has been in the grip of a severe drought that started in October 2010. Since mid-October 2011 the rains are back, but the effects of the drought will continue until the next harvest planned for January 2012.

Since the beginning of the current crisis at the end of October 2010 until now, the ICRC, working in partnership with the Somali Red Crescent Society (SCRS), provided more than 800,000 people with food rations.
From June to October 2011, when the crisis was at its worst, the SRCS, with the support of ICRC, opened 11 new outpatient therapeutic feeding programs and 9 mobile health teams, which have admitted over 27,800 severely malnourished children.
The ICRC mounted a large-scale water trucking operation to respond to the effects of drought in 11 regions, from Bari to Lower Juba, benefiting up to 700,000 persons and their livestock. The ICRC also renovated and repaired 46 water supply infrastructures to improve groundwater sources and surface water storage facilities, helping some 160,000 people have continued access to clean water.
Since January 2011, the ICRC has distributed essential household items to over 260,000 people newly displaced by the conflict or drought in the central regions.
Nearly 100,000 farmers received seeds and tools to boost food production.
In addition to regular medical support to Keysaney and Medina hospitals in Mogadishu, the ICRC supplied emergency items to numerous medical facilities. More than 5,000 war wounded have been treated and more than 600,000 people benefited from primary health care and other medical services.