“The situation for Somali children is getting worse because of droughts, famine, malnutrition, conflict, lack of access to healthcare and illiteracy”

Early childhood is a time of remarkable physical, cognitive, social聽and emotional development. As a child grows, his or her nervous system becomes more mature.

As this happens, the child becomes more and more capable of performing increasingly complex actions.

Unfortunately, all governments in the developing countries did not give priority to cultivating their children. An estimated聽200 million children under five years of age in the developing world have significantly impaired growth according to UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Children in Somalia are among that large number聽left behind in their early childhood. Somalia has not had聽effective government for聽more than two decades.

In famine situations and long-term political instability, children under five in Somalia are particularly vulnerable and make this聽one of the most difficult countries for children to survive.

The situation for Somali聽children is getting worse because of droughts, famine, malnutrition, conflict,聽lack of access to healthcare and illiteracy.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Somalia for his first trip since he took office in January. It was聽an emergency visit aimed at drumming up support for an effort to avert a famine that could affect 6.2 million people.

Mr Guterres said the challenges facing Somalia –聽a combination of hunger, drought, conflict and disease –聽require a聽massive response.

His emergency visit came after the UN聽warned that a severe famine in Somalia was a distinct possibility. If the rains failed again and urgent international action was not taken, it said, the country could see a repeat of the famine of 2011, which killed more than 250,000 people.

About 6.2 million people – about half of the population of Somalia – are in need of assistance. Nearly three million people are unable to meet their daily food requirements and need urgent life-saving assistance.

Almost 950,000 children under the age five will be acutely malnourished this year, with 185,000 of those children are at risk of death without immediate medical treatment.

I am 26 years old. My age is equal to the number of years which my country has been unstable. You can imagine what it feels like for聽someone like me who has聽never seen peace or聽stability, or have the聽government care for聽them and provide the聽basic services of life.

Malnutrition is one of the main obstacles facing children in Somalia. About 40% of children suffer from聽malnutrition聽and聽33% only eat once a day,聽according to UNICEF.

A third of newborns suffer from low birth weight. The lack of prenatal care and education for mothers is often the cause. In Somalia, only 9% of babies are breastfed exclusively and only 3% get birth registration.

Nutrition is extremely important. Without good nutrition,聽children run the risk of being stunted in their growth, which means they are too short for their age and their bodies and brains will never grow to their full potential.

Somali children are suffering epidemic聽diseases since the water used is unsuitable to drink. Many children die each year from dehydration and illnesses like diarrhoea, malaria,聽cholera and pneumonia or other respiratory infections.

Illiteracy is another challenge facing Somali children. Many government schools that聽provided free education聽were聽destroyed and聽most of them聽have not been rebuilt and聽reopened.

Financial burdens聽mean聽poor families聽cannot聽pay for school costs which encourages聽child labour.

According to UNICEF more than聽four聽million Somali children are out of school. Enrolment rates聽are among the lowest in the world, with only four of聽10聽children聽in school. The numbers are far lower for girls, who are often kept at home for housework or pushed into an early marriage.聽

Much illiteracy exists in Somalia but it is聽notable that the聽Somali聽government has made efforts and launched a wide-ranging聽campaign to give free education for one million Somali children. This initiative is聽supported by UNICEF and generously funded聽by various donors.聽

But more works needs to be done to increase enrolment and to give聽every child a聽quality聽education.

I conclude my article with聽a call to the聽new Somali Federal Government led by His Excellency Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.聽

Dear President, please care for聽Somali children like you care for聽your children. You must keep promises made in January 2017 when you聽proposed your policy plan to聽lead this country.聽Somali kids deserve health, protection, play, learning and nutrition.

Also I call on聽world leaders to keep promises made in September 2015聽and聽adopted聽in聽the Sustainable Development Goals – including聽a target to ensure that by 2030 all children聽have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education.