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SOS Children’s Villages, Mogadishu, Somalia

Abdifatah Ahmed Abdullahi, Nutrition Coordinator, SOS Children's Villages, Mogadishu, Somalia

2022-04-06

On 5th of March 2022 SOS CV Somalia completed a training for nutrition staff and community nutrition workers (CNWs) on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and Maternal nutrition.

SOS CV: Over 36 years of uninterrupted service delivery in Somalia during emergencies and crisis situations

SOS Children’s Villages Somalia is a non-profit, non-political and non-denominational international organization that works to address the needs of children, with particular emphasis on children who lost parental care and those who are at significant risk of losing the care of their parents. SOS Children’s Villages Programme, work towards its vision of a world where, “every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security”.

SOS Children’s villages believe that No Child Should Grow Up Alone and that every child should live in a stable and caring family as part of a supportive community. Currently, SOS CV Banadir location programme is running Alternative Child care programme, family strength program and Education programme, youth programme and emergency programme.

SOS CV Somalia has also well functioning health and nutrition facility in the southern regions of the country and runs one of the largest mother and child hospitals in country on public oriented manners ,including these Nutrition services is one of the largest once contributing to the needs of the affacted communities.

SOS CV Mother and child nutrition programs in the country

SOS CV Somalia is one of the primary agencies implementing emergency nutrition projects in Somalia to respond to the high level of malnutrition rate in the country. SOS CV has been working in Heliwa district in Mogadishu for over 35 years and recently expanded into other districts in Benadir region and other locations in southwest regions. SOS CV has been running and is still implementing nutrition projects that are funded by different donors (UN and NGOs).

During that period SOS CV established links with the local community in the target locations and assessed the needs of the affected communities. SOS CV developed interventions that are responsive to the needs of the local and target communities to help mitigate potential barriers in accessing quality-oriented nutrition services. The Needs related to nutrition services in the target districts are still very high.

The existing SOS CV nutrition facilities in the area are overwhelmed in addressing the nutrition services needs of the vulnerable women and children in the target districts and area of catchments. The needs of the crisis-affected communities are often characterized by a high prevalence of acute and severe malnutrition which often leads to increased risk of death among the affected population and in particular women and children are at most risk concerning the deterioration of their nutritional status during emergencies.

In such situations, vulnerable displaced children and women have been provided with urgent support to recover from and prevent further deterioration in their nutrition status, particularly children under the age of five and pregnant and lactating women who faced acute malnutrition. The SOS CV nutrition projects supported and strengthened and continue to provide nutrition services that contribute into the existing SOS CV health facilities to provide SC, OTP and TSFP, MCHN and IYCF services for children and PLWs with acute malnutrition particularly among children under five years of age and pregnant and lactating women who are the most vulnerable during crisis.