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Add to Preferred SourcesA drought so intense that it has its own name – Sima, meaning ‘equal’ in Somali – has pushed everyone in Fuguho village, Somaliland, to the edge of survival.
Climate change is fuelling an increase in extreme weather events such as drought, according to the United Nations (UN). The people of Fuguho know this all too well: already reeling from successive disasters, they are now on the brink thanks to the Sima drought.
Many villagers once made a living in the traditional way, rearing animals. But previous disasters killed their livestock.
Islamic Relief is a lifeline for communities like Fuguho, with emergency projects serving the Adwal region’s Zeila and Lughaya districts. For months we have been trucking in 162,000 precious litres of water every day, serving nearly 11,000 people.
Some 2,400 vulnerable families have used our cash transfers to buy much-needed items like tarpaulin for their shelters, and plastic sheets to catch water.
And 900 women have received reusable sanitary products, underwear, soap and laundry detergent in hygiene kits provided with support from SIDA, the Swedish government’s development agency.
This latest abaar (drought) has resulted in Somalia’s worst harvest in 25 years. Without help, the UN agency OCHA estimates that up to 2.1 million people will face life-threatening hunger by the end of the year. In total, 6.3 million people in the country are predicted to face severe hunger by December.
Original source: Islamic Relief
Published on 10 October 2019