Caritas in Germany Reaches Out to Thousands in Drought-hit Somalia with “emergency aid”

They add, “With the 600,000 euros immediately made available for emergency aid, Caritas international and its partner organizations can help more than 30,000 people with food, drinking water and cash.”

“The situation in Somalia is dramatic and fatally reminiscent of the hardship in 2010 and 2011, when a quarter of a million people died of hunger in the country," the head of German Caritas Association, Oliver Müller, has been quoted as saying in the September 13 report.

He adds, “More than 1.4 million children, almost half of the Somali population under the age of five, are already affected by acute malnutrition.”

Mr. Müller recounts that for months now, the German Caritas Association “and its local partners in Somalia have been supporting people affected by the drought. Livestock farmers whose animals have died of thirst receive small livestock. Farmers whose crops have withered receive seeds.” 

“Caritas International cares for people who have been displaced within the country. The drought in Somalia has forced more than half a million people to flee,” he adds.

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According to the head of German Caritas Association, “Many refugees are drawn to the cities because they hope to find water and food or a job there, but even there, our partners report, the humanitarian situation is tense because food prices have risen sharply due to the war in Ukraine.”

“One of the aims of Caritas international's emergency aid is therefore to support as many people as possible with cash and water while they are still in their homes,” Mr. Müller says in the report published September 13.

He adds, “In Somalia, it is becoming frighteningly clear that the very people who have contributed least to climate change are suffering the most from its consequences.”

“Together with our partners on the ground, we will do everything in our power to combat the famine in Somalia,” Mr. Müller further says.

On August 14, Pope Francis drew the attention of the international community to “the serious humanitarian crisis” that the people of God in Somalia and the Horn of Africa nations are facing. 

Speaking after leading the Angelus prayer at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father said the people in the affected African countries are in danger of death due to famine caused by drought. 

“I wish to draw your attention to the serious humanitarian crisis affecting Somalia and parts of neighboring countries. The people of this region, already living in very precarious conditions, are now in mortal danger because of drought,” Pope Francis said. 

He advocated for support from across the globe, saying, “I hope that international solidarity can respond effectively to this emergency.”

In an August 19 interview with ACI Africa, the Director of Caritas Somalia, Sara Ben Rached, said that the Catholic entity has already started engaging with organizations that have come forward to offer support to the people who are facing starvation.

“Caritas Somalia is presenting several projects to the various organizations that came forward after the Pope’s appeal,” the Director of the Catholic humanitarian agency that responds to catastrophes in the Horn of Africa country since its establishment in 1980 said. 

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Ms. Rached noted that the Holy Father’s appeal, which she said had especially stressed the “increasingly precarious conditions in which the population finds itself” had reached many people.

“The Pope’s message drew the attention of the entire international community to the serious humanitarian crisis in Somalia, emphasizing above all the increasingly precarious conditions in which the population finds itself,” the Director of Caritas Somalia told ACI Africa on August 19.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.