MOGADISHU (SoOHA) – When Sahra Koshin first returned to Somalia from the Netherlands in 2008, she was full of hope and courage. Eager to use her expertise in gender development to rebuild her wartorn country, she immediately started work with one of the many UN agencies in Mogadishu. “The moment …

Somalia’s capital city – where there are frequent and deadly bomb blasts – only has one free ambulance service, which was founded by Abdulkadir Abdirahman Adan 13 years ago. When he returned from Pakistan, where he had been studying dentistry, to Mogadishu as a fresh graduate he was struck by …

MOGADISHU (SoOHA) – US Ambassador to Somalia Donald Y. Yamamoto held a roundtable discussion with organizations that work with the people and government of Somalia to overcome humanitarian crises. Joining Ambassador Yamamoto were representatives from the UN World Food Program, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, UNICEF, Mercy Corps, International Medical …

SHANGHAI (SoOHA) – Ships carrying thousands of tonnes of rice set off from Huangpu Port in Shanghai on Friday for Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan to help these countries cope with their food security crisis. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) China Office held …

DADAAB (SoOHA) – Nearly half of recently surveyed Somali residents of the Dadaab refugee complex say they have no intention of returning to their homeland due to concerns about violence, drought and lack of services. Their stated determination to remain in Dadaab until conditions dramatically improve in Somalia appears to …

MOGADISHU (SoOHA) – The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has warned that the displacement of families is on the rise due to conflict and drought in Somalia. “We are seeing a tragic trend this year, with more and more people displaced by drought and conflict in Somalia. Seeking aid to survive, …

BAIDOA (SoOHA) – Butchers in Baidoa, in southern Somalia’s South West state(SWS), have been following new rules set by the government requiring veterinary approval before the slaughter of animals for meat sales. According to the director of the livestock ministry, Hassan Ismail Isack, the state has succeeded in implementing new …

KISMAYO (SoOHA) – For the first time in decades, Abdi Ahmed Ali and his family are living in their own modern house in Kismayo thanks to a resettlement project in southern Somalia. Abdi and the eight members of his family returned to Somalia from Kenya’s largest refugee camp Dadaab in …

LASANOD (SoOHA) – Somali wives in the northern region of Sool have been going to court to seek redress after being left to raise their children single-handedlyby husbands migrating to seek a better life overseas. According to the chairman of Lasanod court, Hassan Mohamed Warsame, 200 cases have been filed …

Meeting the children at a primary school in Baidoa town, in the southwestern Bay region of Somalia, my heart swelled with joy. As they showed me how they could say the days of the week in English, the teacher beamed, I felt so proud that the world’s humanitarian response was enabling these children …