Stories from the Field

MOGADISHU — The Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) has released a new field report warning of a sharp deterioration in humanitarian conditions across multiple regions, with critical focus on Awdal, Hiraan, and Gedo provinces—areas now grappling with severe drought, mass displacement, and ongoing armed conflict. The report underscores the escalating …

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s experience in addressing COVID-19 illustrates how investing in universal health coverage sets a strong foundation for heath emergency preparedness and response. The Government is working to ensure that people can access quality health care without experiencing financial hardship. Learn how Somalia is working to protect its population …

MOGADISHU — Keysaney hospital commemorates 28 years of providing impartial war surgery and emergency medical care for civilians and wounded combatants. The hospital is run by the Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS) with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The anniversary was marked by a gathering …

MOGADISHU — “I have never seen something like this the whole of my life,” laments 65-year-old Marian.* Marian lives in a camp for displaced people in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. She has lived in the camp since 2016 when she and her family fled the war in a neighbouring …

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 …

Perennial clan clashes in Somalia have taken an enormous toll on the whole of Somali society, claiming an unknown number of lives and robbing families of livelihoods.  Women and children have borne the brunt of the violent conflict with the loss of their husbands, fathers, and breadwinners. In one area …

TIMISOARA, ROMANIA – Somali refugee Fadumo Nour Zein, 81, sits on a metal bed in a UNHCR centre in western Romania, patting the knee of her 46-year-old daughter Fatima on her left and grandson Ali on her right. After years of uncertainty, she is finally happy. For 20 years Fadouma did …

NIAMEY, NIGER –  Somali mother of two Amina* was strong and vigorous before she fell into the hands of Libyan traffickers. After more than a year of relentless beatings and electric shocks, she is now broken and unable to walk. ”When I arrived in Libya, I was walking, nobody had …