CHILDREN STARVE AS FOOD STOCKS RUN OUT IN BAIDOA.
Nuurto Abdullahi Hussein, 31, has been in hospital in Baidoa for eight days watching over her two-year-old son day and night. She told Radio Ergo that his situation had been deteriorating rapidly at their home in Misgale village, 18 km from Baidoa, and he hardly had the energy to move.
“When he was asleep, he could not even make a slight movement or change sides,” she said. Her son was being given milk, porridge, syrup and tablets, she said, and could now sit up unaided.
“My son became weak like this due to starvation, because at times I could not even get any food at all to cook the whole day,” she said.
Nuurto said her family had finished all the food stocks they had stored from the crops they harvested three months ago.
Two hospitals in Baidoa town, Bay region, are currently treating a total of 91 malnourished children under the age of five. The children have been brought in from six villages in Baidoa district over the past two weeks. It appears that there are many more children suffering from malnutrition in rural parts of this district in southern Somalia, where inadequate rainfall has affected agricultural production.
Dr Sultano Sheikh Aden, head of the nutrition department at Bay hospital, told Radio Ergo that 61 malnourished children were admitted to the hospital. The hospital provides free medical services.
“We give the children medication and nutritious food such as milk,” Dr Sultano said.
Dr Sultano said the nutrition department provided three meals a day to the parents staying in the wards with their children. The department is supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Those discharged from the hospital are given cash $100 a month for up to three months to enable parents to buy food to avoid the children relapsing into malnutrition.
Another 30 children were admitted to Bay Haaw hospital, according to Ibrahim Abdurrahman, hospital director.
Sadiyo Ali Ahmed, in the hospital ward with her one-year-old daughter, told Radio Ergo she had travelled from Awdinle village 20 km away by tuk tuk, six days ago. She is among the many farming families affected by the drought. She said she knew many malnourished children in her area but most families could not afford the transport to bring the children to town for treatment.
