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3.2    The Plight of the Somali Children

Our children, being the most vulnerable section of the society, have been afflicted most in terms of death rates, suffering and future wise. UN and other data banks estimate every 1,000 births 215 children die. This is one of the highest infant mortality rats in the world. Not only the infants, but many thousands of other children of all ranges of age and mothers are also being killed by malnutrition, starvation, diseases, violence, and adventurous dangerous migration in the high seas and oceans every year. On 27/11/2007 UNICEF issued an alarming report that ‘105,000 under-five-year children’ were ‘at risk to die for malnutrition. 83,000 of them ‘acutely malnourished’ and ‘13,500’ were ‘severely malnourished.’ These under-five years children and most of the other displaced needy older children and adults have the highest malnutrition rate in the world – ‘19% and ‘21.5% among the under five children’ and again on 5/12/2007 UNICEF’s Representative for Somalia declared “95 per cent of Somali children under the age of five have not received the full recommended course of vaccinations. Somalia has some of the worst social indicators for children in the world, one in eight children dies before his fifth birthday, one in three is chronically malnourished, hardly a third of families have access to clean drinking water, just 30 per cent of children go to school and on average people only live to the age of 47.’(24)  and UN OCHA’s survey in El Berde district of Bakool found ‘critical rates of malnutrition with 24.1% rate of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) and a 2.8% rate of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Contingency planning and preparations for the worst case scenario will be critical if response is to be timely and at appropriate level. Somalia.’(25) After about two months the UN OCHA reported that Qanasaxdheere, Baidoa, and Tiyaglow districts have had the same highest and acute malnutrition rates of 24.1% among the children and people as El Bedre and Bakool districts.(26) 

The UN OCHA again warned that ‘The current environment of conflict, displacement and insecurity in southern and central Somalia has a seriously negative impact on children’s and young peoples’ long-term psycho-social welfare and healthy development.’(26) and in September 2008 another UN agency disclosed that children Lower and Middle Shabelle Regions ‘have the highest caseload of acutely and severely malnourished children in Somalia, estimated at 34% and 38% respectively’ (27) and in December 2008 IRIN revealed that the ‘Global acute malnutrition is rising from 20% to 28% and 30% which ‘indicate a famine situation’ (28) which is double the world average malnutrition rate of 15 per cent.  The Lower and Middle Shabelle regions have the highest’ (28) while in the same month AP reported quoting the UN that ‘There are 300,000 acutely malnourished children in Somalia.’(29) In the same month UN News centre revealed that ‘200,00 are under five children acutely and severely malnourished’ in Somalia of whom ’60,00 are acutely malnourished …and at an increased risk of death if they do not receive the appropriate specialist care. …These extreme numbers will have a long-term devastating impact on the economic potential of the country.’ (30)  and the UN agency of IRIN repeated such bleak picture of Somali children that ‘Somalia has one of the world’s highest levels of malnutrition, with Global Acute and Malnutrition rates of an estimated 18.6, topping 20 per cent in some areas, and 28 per cent in displaced people’s camps in Bossaso, Northeast Somalia,. Any thing over 15 per cent (malnutrition rate) can be regarded as an emergency.’(31)  Another UN source made clear that  programmes for ‘Education, Shelter and Safety & Security sectors have received no funding.’(32)

Breastfeeding Problem: UNIFCEF discloses that ‘only 13 percent of Somali infants younger than six months are exclusively breastfed’ and as a result Somali infants need to get a breastfeed substitute called Plumpy’doz to boost their immune system (34) without given any explanation why 87% mothers do not breastfeed children of the this age range. Perhaps most mothers are so malnourished and weak that they cannot breastfeed their infant children or continue breastfeeding longer time.

In a new development on 17/4/2009 in a Press Release UNICEF hopes it will feed 300,000 Somali children in acute food and livelihood crisis of whom 96,000 are in humanitarian emergency. At the same time UNICEF is concerned that the fulfillment of the programmes for the Somali children and women will diminish in 2009 as for this year’s humanitarian funds appeal raised only $80 million which is enough only and until mid April 2009.

The following figures and statements about hyperinflation and sky-high prices also show how the relatively functioning and thriving Somali economic modus vivendi model was destroyed and poverty is deepened and widespread.

 

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