Children in Somalia Trapped in a Worsening Crisis as Funding Falls and Deyr Rains Fail Again

Humanitarian projections indicate that by early 2026, around 5.9 million people will need food assistance, compared to 4.4 million at the end of 2025. Yet in October 2025, only 1.3 million people, 800,000 of them children, received food assistance, leaving two-thirds of those in need without critical aid. The widening funding gap threatens the health and safety of families in an already fragile situation. The grave consequences of the reduced funding gap will be felt in the immediate future, as the majority of critical humanitarian programmes are set to end in December 2025, with no extension anticipated for 2026.

Rising malnutrition puts children at severe risk

By the end of the year, an estimated 1.85 million children are expected to experience acute malnutrition, including 421,000 children facing severe acute malnutrition, a life-threatening condition. Malnutrition is rising sharply, with Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates reaching 11.8% in 2025.

“We are already dealing with severe acute malnutrition in children, largely caused by food insecurity caused by recurrent droughts,” says Mohamed Dakane, Humanitarian Director for SOS Children’s Villages in Somalia. “The failure of the rains once again and the breakdown of health and nutrition systems will compel families to endure hunger, further exacerbating the health and malnutrition crises.”

Families under strain as displacement rises

Sahara* stands beside the skeletal frame of her new makeshift home in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp on the outskirts of Baidoa City, 26 November 2025.

Families like Sahara’s* continue to share their experiences as they leave their homes in search of food, water, and safety. Sahara, a 42-year-old mother of seven, describes the profound impact of the drought:

“I used to have some goats, but they all died because of the drought. The seeds I planted did not grow as the rains failed. We could not stay at home anymore, so we had to leave everything behind and travel to the camp in Baidoa. This year, nothing is the same, and we have lost so much.”

After leaving Qansaxdheere district, approximately 90 kilometers southwest of Baidoa City, her family travelled for three days by donkey cart. “I had no choice but to seek help,” she says, reflecting the reality of thousands of families now uprooted.

When she arrived in Baidoa, she quickly pitched a makeshift shelter using tree branches and old rugged clothing to create a temporary home in an already overcrowded internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, where basic services like drinking water, healthcare, and schools are far distant.

Water bodies dry up due to sweltering heat conditions

A girl collects water from a drying pond as goats gather nearby in Qansaxdheere district, Bay region, on 24 November 2025, highlighting the challenges of water scarcity in rural communities

Rural communities are facing a severe water shortage. Rising temperatures and prolonged droughts have driedup dams, shallow wells, springs, and underground water sources. The few surviving pastoral communities now rely on boreholes, but these often break down under heavy use. Without enough water, crops fail, livestock perish, and families struggle to access sufficient food and water, forcing them to make perilous journeys in search of aid.

“We are seeing families and livestock drinking from contaminated open water sources. This will definitely increase the risk of outbreaks of waterborne diseases, such as cholera and diarrhoea, which can have devastating effects on the health of the community.”

Says Shuaib Noor, Hospital Administrator for SOS Children’s Villages in Qansaxdheere district, Bay region.

Education services in rural areas are in crisis due to relentless heatwaves and severe water shortages. Many schools are at risk of closure, which would have devastating consequences for our children’s education.

"We are on the brink of witnessing a significant increase in student dropouts in rural townships throughout southern and central Somalia, driven by the escalating humanitarian crisis," warns Bashir Said Hassan, Deputy National Director of SOS Children's Village Somalia. “It is crucial that we take immediate and concerted action to prevent these school closures. We must prioritize interim measures to support our students and safeguard their futures. The time to act is now.”

Urgent Need for Funding to Safeguard Children's Futures

“This crisis is undermining children’s well-being, their development and their futures,” says Abdikadir Dakane, National Director for SOS Children’s Villages in Somalia. “We are deeply concerned by the pace at which families are losing the ability to care for their children. Our focus is to keep families together and ensure children have access to the nutrition, healthcare, and protection they need. But we cannot do this alone. Nearly six million people need urgent assistance — this is a ticking time bomb. We call on the international community and generous donors to provide sustained support, now and in the months ahead.”

SOS Children’s Villages has been working in Somalia since 1985, supporting children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it, and helping families stay together wherever possible. In 2024, SOS Children’s Villages reached 1.6 million people through health, nutrition, education, WASH, sustainable livelihoods, and child protection services across five regions in the country.