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On World Humanitarian Day, Sir Mo Farah describes how people in drought-stricken Somaliland are working together to fight hunger
British Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah has been a Save the Children Ambassador since January 2017.
I recently returned to Somaliland, where I was born, with Save the Children to see first-hand the work they are doing there in response to the devastating impacts of climate change and malnutrition.
It’s hard to put into words the mix of emotions that this trip brought up in me. There were moments of heartbreak – but also hope, as I witnessed mothers battling the odds to find just enough food to keep their children alive.
In Gabiley, where I spent the first few years of my life, I visited a hospital where I saw the most severe cases of acute malnutrition – children whose bodies were so drastically weakened that they were barely clinging to life.
I spoke to mothers who told me of the long, arduous journeys they had made from their villages in desperate search of life-saving support in the town. These mothers shared stories of how the droughts had attacked their livelihoods, destroying the few livestock they had left and robbing them of their ability to provide for their families.
They told me of impossible choices they had been forced to make, leaving some of their children behind so that they could find care for others.
As a father of four I can’t imagine having to make that choice. No parent should ever face such an agonising decision.
I know how it feels to want the best for your family. We all do, and many of us are fortunate enough to be able to ensure our kids have access to all the nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults.
Many of us, naturally, take food almost for granted. The reality for families I met in Somaliland – a self-declared autonomous region of northwestern Somalia – is starkly different.
According to the latest figures, five consecutive failed rainy seasons have left 4 million people in Somalia facing severe shortages of food and almost 2 million children at risk of acute malnutrition.
In 2022, 43,000 excess deaths are estimated to have occurred in Somalia because of the drought – and around half of these are likely to have been children under five.
In a village that reminded me of my own childhood home, I met a tight-knit community who were struggling to feed their children because of those relentless droughts. Despite this, the community was making sure no neighbour was left behind.
They told me that if a family had not eaten for a few days, which, sadly, was the norm, everyone would rally round, putting together whatever they could find to make sure they had at least one meal. Seeing such resilience, and this community spirit, was so inspiring.
In this community, I also met Sabaad, a community health worker supported by Save the Children who has become a lifeline for her village, bringing vital treatment closer to families.
Without Sabaad, mothers told me, their malnourished children may not have survived. Spurred on by her own child’s past struggles with malnutrition, Sabaad has spent the last five years tirelessly serving her community, demonstrating the power of local knowledge, experience and perseverance.
For me, this was a humbling homecoming. So many parents in Somalia, Somaliland and across the world are struggling to keep their children alive because of the impact of climate change.
This is a global crisis that demands the attention of all of us. No matter where they are born, every child should have the right to be a child with the freedom to play and live in a world without uncertainty.
Equally, no parent should have to face some of the impossible choices the mothers I’ve met have had to face just to keep their children alive. It is our responsibility to ensure those bearing the brunt of this crisis are not forgotten. The time for action is now.