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Learn about the organization’s projects in Somalia
The humanitarian crisis in Somalia is one of the longest and most complex crises in the world. The country is experiencing armed conflict and worsening climate crises across different regions, which is a dangerous combination that has led to the displacement of large numbers of people both within Somalia and across its borders.
For decades, poverty, marginalization, armed violence, insecurity, political instability, natural hazards, and lack of development have contributed to increasing humanitarian needs in Somalia. The humanitarian situation in Somalia has rapidly deteriorated since 2011 due to an unprecedented drought, which resulted in a famine that claimed the lives of nearly a quarter of a million people.
Displaced people, especially children, mothers, and the elderly, face serious security risks and health hazards while receiving limited humanitarian assistance due to ongoing insecurity and conflict.
The country has endured a prolonged and violent conflict for nearly three decades. In recent years, armed groups have carried out bombings, suicide attacks, armed assaults, and kidnappings. Meanwhile, military operations have intermittently caused death, injury, and displacement of civilian populations.
When the rains fail in Somalia, villagers like Amina are forced to walk for 6 hours in a desperate search for water. Amina recounts, “We were going through a very difficult time. I lost my donkey while searching for water, and the burden was heavy on me, especially because my three children were still young and unable to help me.”
Her younger brother, 13-year-old Mahdi, who is responsible for fetching water for their family, should have been at school, receiving education among his peers and enjoying time with his friends. But his family’s circumstances forced him to bear this responsibility, and for him, finding water became a daily routine task throughout the day. He had to walk six hours every day to fetch water for his family.
He says, “I would leave at 7 in the morning to search for water and return after noon. I would come back very tired and couldn’t go to school.”
The organization managed to dig a new well in their village. As water approached their home, Mahdi became free to engage in activities dear to his heart, like pursuing education. He says, “I want to finish my studies and learn… I want to become a teacher.”
Amina also expressed, “I have never felt happiness like I did on that day; I couldn’t believe that I would stop walking 6 hours daily to secure water for the family.”
We fully understand the importance of water in people’s lives, and that’s why we attach great importance to it in our interventions.
By mid-2020, we have dug 65 wells in Africa alone, in addition to numerous similar interventions in other areas such as Yemen, Gaza Strip, and others.
The International Organization for Human Rights and Refugee Affairs is a non-profit, non-governmental international organization licensed by the United States. It operates under the umbrella of the United Nations and the European Union, focusing on the protection of human rights and advocating for the rights of refugees. The organization is dedicated to safeguarding the freedoms and human rights of individuals and defending the rights of refugees.
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