40-year-old Sahra is a mother of 11 children. She used to be a farmer before the drought, but now, struggles to provide for her family, as the drought has completely dried up her farm. In her interview, Sarah speaks about why the current drought is the worst in her lifetime, and the impact it is having on her family.

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Hunger in Somaliland

Asha, 35, was forced to move to a camp for internally displaced people in Somaliland after losing her livestock in the drought.

Asha and her family depended on the livestock for a source of income and to provide food for the family – meat, milk and butter. Now, she says, she struggles to provide even two meals a day and regularly has to walk to the nearest city to try to get food on credit or money from relatives to help them meet their basic needs.

Despite the challenging circumstances they are living in though, she stays optimistic, telling her children that they will overcome the current situation and return to the way they used to live.

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Asha is a 35-year-old pastoralist and single mother of three. She lives in an IDP camp in Somaliland

Khadija Farah/ActionAid

Sagal, a 40 year-old pregnant mother of two, living in an IDP camp in Somaliland.

Daniel Jukes/ActionAid

Drought affecting livelihoods

Sagal, 40, is a mother of two and is currently eight-months pregnant, living with her husband in camp for internally displaced people in Somaliland.

The need for support is urgent, especially as often mothers skip their own meals to feed their children once a day.

Every mother is feeling sorrow when her children are eating only once a day and don't eat the other two times. I feel sorrow every day...our needs are great, and we can't afford more than one meal a day and our shelter doesn’t protect us from the sun or the cold.”

Sagal also shared that she prepares black tea for her and her children to cope with the agonising hunger between meals.

“Our previous life was good. I had 100 livestock and got milk from the livestock to drink, feed the children, or sell to buy other needed food items... now all our livestock is gone.”

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About ActionAid

ActionAid is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty.

Our dedicated local staff are changing the world with women and girls. We are ending violence and fighting poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want.

We operate in rural and urban communities across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

We're committed to ending the cycle of violence in communities around the world, enabling women's economic empowerment, and supporting women's and girls' rights during humanitarian crises.

This project is just one example of ActionAid’s work. Your regular donation may not go towards this project. It will be used where it is needed most to further ActionAid’s general charitable purposes.

Image: 40-year-old Sahra used to be a farmer before the drought, but now, struggles to provide for her family, as the drought has completely dried up her farm. Credit: Khadija Farah/ActionAid

Page updated 26 July 2024