The government of Japan is providing generous funding to UNICEF to support Somalia’s drought-affected children with proper sanitation facilities in schools, keep them in education and provide abused women and children with support services
The US$3mn grant is expected to help some of the communities worst affected by the prolonged drought in central and southern regions of Somalia.
The 2017 Somalia drought has meant the widespread use of contaminated water, which in turn led to disease outbreaks including acute watery diarrhoea and cholera that affected more than six million people in the African country.
The drought has led serious impact on Somalia’s farm production and livestock holdings. The crop productions have been heavily affected, leaving millions of people in Somalia under malnutrition and displacement crisis.
According to UNICEF, about 2.8mn children in Somalia is in urgent need of humanitarian assistance due to the failure of successive rainy seasons, which led loss of life, acute hunger, food reserves and severe health issues.
International organisations like UNICEF are working hard to assist Somalia in fighting this situation, improving Somalia’s agriculture, crop production and providing with other humanitarian assistance.
Part of the Japanese funding is expected to provide 10,000 children in 50 schools with a package of services. The school latrines will be rehabilitated or constructed, safe drinking water provided and hygiene education was undertaken.
“The new funding will be used to monitor grave child rights violations, as well as provide support to 1,250 survivors of abuse, and to children who were previously involved with armed groups,” said UNICEF.
