Somalia children hit hard by aid cuts: UN

In June, U.N.-backed experts estimated that almost a third of Somalis faced food insecurity as the country endured one of its worst droughts in years.(AFP) — More than 200 health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close across drought-hit Somalia because of deep cuts in international aid, leaving more children at risk of life-threatening malnutrition, the U.N. said Friday.The United Nations children’s agency warned that Somalia’s children were “paying the price” for the dramatic reduction in international aid funding since last year.“In Somalia today, aid cuts are closing doors to health care, shutting down nutrition services, and pushing water, education and protection further out of reach,” spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Nairobi.He said 205 health and nutrition facilities had already closed.The impact on children, he warned, “has been immediate,” with a 32% increase during the first six months of the year in children admitted to stabilization centers with severe acute malnutrition.“Fewer facilities mean longer journeys for mums and their babies; longer journeys mean later treatment; later treatment means more severe illness and a greater risk of preventable death,” Elder said.In June, U.N.-backed experts estimated that almost a third of Somalis faced food insecurity as the country endured one of its worst droughts in years.Nearly 1.9 million children are projected to be affected by malnutrition in Somalia this year, including nearly half a million with its deadliest form, Elder said.“This is the wrong moment to retreat,” he said, noting that Somalia was “confronting a worsening climate crisis, severe drought in parts of the north, conflict and displacement.”The war in Iran was also pushing up fuel and fertilizer costs, even as a record-strength El Niño climate pattern was expected to compound Somalia’s humanitarian crisis, with severe flooding forecast in the coming months, he said.The funding cuts have already contributed to a 30% drop in health and nutrition service coverage, and Elder warned that the situation could deteriorate further.“Under severe funding scenarios, as many as 618 health facilities could close nationwide,” he said.At the same time, nearly 1 million children under 5, adolescent girls and women risk losing access to nutrition services.The aid cuts are also exacerbating the drought, reducing access to water at a time when prices in rural and pastoral areas have quadrupled, according to UNICEF.Education has also been hit hard by the cuts, Elder said, noting that more than 78,000 students had already dropped out and another 660,000 were at risk of doing so.Dozens of child protection facilities helping reintegrate children formerly associated with armed groups or at risk of recruitment have also been shuttered.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads