Appeal to WFP Somalia-Programme

Mogadishu Sunday, 10 May 2009 SMC

Ref: No: SOCHRO/00A30/09                                                                        Date: 09/05/2009   

                To: WFP Office Nairobi Somalia Programme

               CC: Officer- in Charge WFP Office Mogadishu-Somalia

                From: SOCHRO-Somalia 

   Subject: Appeal to WFP Somalia-Programme    

Somali Child Rights Organization (SOCHRO) is a humanitarian organization founded in Mogadishu in the sector of the child rights protection and advocacy, and assisting the vulnerable people in the IDP,s, and feeding malnutrition programme . 

A meeting with the community elders and SOCHRO discussed deeply how to prevent the children dying malnutrition problems in this meeting SOCHRO has written a request to World Food Programme WFP the proposal for nutrition and social support project of supplementary feeding program (SFP), 28/12/2008, and then we returned the proposal project of SFP on 15/04/2009, although we have not received any feedback from World Food Programme (WFP) the malnutrition of the children and hunger is still on, SOCHRO has the capacity to implement project on humanitarian activities, tough it has already implemented a project partner with the Save the Children UK-Somalia Proagramme, UNICEF-Somalia Programme, Transculture Psychosocial Organization TPO-Somalia Operation and as well Child Rights Information Network (CRIN).

                        FSAU Nutrition Report

Since the intensifying political instability in South Central regions, armed conflicts and civil strikes, become a common in daily lives, plus the inflations of the commodity prices, devaluation of the local currently, un-employments, lower crop production, livestock termination in the rural areas, anxious civil insecurity with the large displacement in both rural and urban civilians. Caused severe malnutrition in Afgoe district as whole and particularly the above mentioned villages whom are living the most vulnerable groups in the area consists children U<5, 5-11, pregnant and lactating mothers as well as aged persons. 

Following FSAU nutrition report, “Populations within the Shabelle regions continue to be in a state of Humanitarian Emergency (HE) and Acute Food and Livelihood Crisis (AFLC) with an early warning level of Watch over the next six months. In the recent urban assessment, a large portion of Shabelle’s urban population was also identified to be in either a state of Acute Food and Livelihood Crisis (95,000 people) or Humanitarian Emergency (15,000 people) with an early warning level of Watch. Currently, about 585,000 riverine, agro-pastoral, pastoral, and urban people are in a state of either HE or AFLC and in need of humanitarian assistance (Table 1). Of these, 265,000 people are in HE, and 320,000 in AFLC, a  35% increase in the number affected since April’08. This further deterioration is the result of delayed and poor Gu’08 rains; consequently, another season of below-average crop production;

the high cost of input (fuel) for agriculture; exhausted rangeland conditions; and persistent hyperinflation, which has significantly reduced purchasing power. In addition, continued civil insecurity has resulted in an IDP influx, placing additional pressure on already strained regional resources.

In the Riverine livelihood zones (LZs), below average Gu rainfall, together with high input costs, has led to significantly below average cereal production. In Middle Shabelle, cereal production is estimated to be 44% and 46% (including rice) of the Gu PWA and the Gu five-year average (2003-2007), respectively; and in Lower Shabelle: 52% and 61% of the PWA and 5-year average, respectively. In most areas of the riverine and agro-pastoral LZs, several seasons of below-average crop production and exhausted agricultural infrastructure (mainly in Middle Shabelle) are the primary causes of the current low food stocks and limited market supply, which has resulted in record-high maize prices (about 200% and 400% higher compared to Jan. ‘08 and July ‘07, respectively). These factors, together with limited labour availability, have significantly undermined the purchasing power of poor riverine and agro-pastoral LZ, particularly households in Middle Shabelle. This decline in purchasing power is demonstrated by the 50-60% decline in the cereal-to-labour terms of trade (TOT) since Jan.’08 (Jowhar market). The rate of exchange for cereal to local quality goat (a measure of purchasing power of poor pastoral and agro-pastoral households) is also 40% and 50% lower than Jan.’08 and July ‘07 TOT, respectively. Imported food and non-food commodity prices continue to climb with sugar, vegetable and fuel prices doubling since Jan ‘08. Overall, these factors continue to have a serious impact upon food and income sources and the nutritional status of a significant portion of the population in the Shabelles.

The nutrition situation in the agro-pastoral LZ of the Lower and Middle Shabelle regions remains persistently Critical,while the riverine LZ remains in a Serious nutrition situation, demonstrating no change since Deyr  ‘07/08. The riverine populations have had better access to fish, fruits and vegetables than their agro-pastoral counterparts.  This, along with some humanitarian intervention, explains the slightly better nutrition conditions in the riverine LZ. IDPs in the Afgoi/Merka corridor are currently in the Critical phase.  Humanitarian interventions have partly mitigated any major deterioration among the IDP population, which continues to suffer from civil security, rising food prices and subsequent high morbidity rates.  In Mogadishu, the nutrition situation is Very Critical. This categorization is based on integrated analysis of key outcome evidence, which include rapid nutrition assessments conducted by FSAU in 12 sites in July ‘08 (N-1293), indicating a high proportion of the assessed children (21%) with MUAC (<12.5/oedema); HIS data from health facilities, indicating consistently very high numbers during the period of April – June ‘08 (Source: HIS data Jan.-June ‘08).

In June ‘08, Banadir hospital received an increased caseload of 211 cases of AWD from the region, with 6 related deaths (Source: Somalia Health Cluster Bulletin, June 2008); however, this has been contained”.

Suggestion

Since, the problem is on, SOCHRO with help of it is staff kept in hand number of children and women pregnant who are in a very bad condition and providing food ration feeding, because SOCHRO is always inside the community and knows deeply their problems, we have a number of cases the children and women pregnant who died for malnutrition, SOCHRO can not close eyes what is happening to these vulnerable communities. 

The community elders from defferent villages of Afgoi, submitted requests to SOCHRO and SOCHRO requesting emergency assistances such as supplementary feeding to uplift the malnutrition people in these villages:-

1. Xawo-tako Village
2. Omar-Bere Village
3. Sabiid- Village
4. Bulalow-Village
5. Idimow- Village
6. Dacarta- Village, in Afgoi district. And area surrounding Villages

For the existing problems, SOCHRO is requesting from WFP- Somalia to extend humanitarian assistances of defferent kinds and supplementary feeding to uplift the malnutrition people and if not provide emergency number of people might die due to drought and infinitive wars to same regions in Somalia.

Expecting from your prompt feedback

Chairman of SOCHRO:

Eng: Mataan Ali Hassan 

For Further Information Contact Us:

Mobile Phone: 2521-5577977

Tell:  2521-854260

E-mail: Sochrosomalia@yahoo.com

E-mail: sochrosomalia@hotmail.com   

Somaliweyn Media Center “SMC”

Somaliweyn Media Center (SMC)
Muqdisho Somalia

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