Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex based in Nairobi. She travelled to Puntland, Somalia, where consecutive failed rainy seasons have brought families to the very edge of survival.
About the visual story
Sara’s report from Somalia highlights what the sub-Sahara country is facing. Somalia is experiencing one of the worst droughts in the country’s recent history, threatening the lives of those dependent on livestock and agriculture. The underreported disaster is now reaching a critical stage, says Michael Igoe (Devex News).
The Horn of Africa is in the middle of one of its most severe droughts in recent history, brought on by three failed rainy seasons in a row. In Somalia, internal displacement has doubled and is projected to double again. By May, 30% of the country’s population might not have enough to eat, Sara reports.
Through Sara’s lens, we are able to hear the testimonies of the rural families living in the area. In the dusty town of Qarxis, in Puntland, the residents feel the ripple effect of the livestock dying in droves. The pastoralists no longer come to town selling livestock and buying goods from people in the village. The story covers families’ fears of pastoralism communities, already worsened by several phenomena, such as frequent droughts, the Covid-19 pandemic, and desert locusts.
Sara Jerving writes:
“The severe drought worsens day by day. People are quite weak, and the livestock are dying. The humans are next if the rains don’t come”.
Faduma Hassan Hussein, a midwife working at a health clinic in the town of Qarxis
Text adapted by the SweDev Secretariat from the original article written by Michael Igoe (Devex News). The article first appeared in Devex Dish produced by Janelle Cruz and Sara Jerving (photos).
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