save somalia: humanitarian and refugee crisis

1

Kick-Off - July 2009

1

Save Somalia: Humanitarian& Refugee Crisis Campaign

WHO

2

Brief look at the humanitarian and refugee crisis

The role of Somali Americans and “The Friends of Somalia” in alleviating these crisis

2


3

About Somalia Republic Land: It is about the size Texas.

Borders Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia

Independence: July 1, 1960 from England and Italy

Natural and human-caused: Droughts, floods and Deforestation

Coastline: About 3,025 kilometers, the longest in Africa

Climate: principally desert Population:

9,832,017 Muslim Somali language (official) 45% are ages 0-14 52% are ages 15-64 2.5% are over 65 years

The World Factbook, 2009

WHO

44

Somalia has existed without a central government since 1991

Over 17 years of armed conflicts between rival groups, recurring draughts, and the absence of any public infrastructure have led to famine, diseases, and the deaths of over one million people

The Situation

UN 2009 and USAID, 2009

5

“I have seen the situation in Darfur, Uganda, Congo, but the humanitarian crisis in Somalia is the worst in Africa.” Oxfam Humanitarian Coordinator, 2009

Somalia is in a major humanitarian crisis caused by drought, endemic poverty, and violence. USAID, 2009

“The humanitarian situation in Somalia is the worst in Africa.” UN, 2009

5

Reports on Somalia

6

Extreme poverty (less than $1/day) 43% of the general

public 53% among the rural

and nomadic people

General poverty (less than $2/day) 73% of households 80% in rural and

nomadic people

WB, 2008

Living Standard

Adnahospital.org

7

Only 22% of children attend primary schoolThe lowest in the

worldOne in five people is

illiterateMany children are

displaced by conflict

wn.com and Alert.net

UNICEF, 2009 Humanitarian Report

Education

8

Life expectancy 48 (2007)

• Under-5 mortality 142/1,000 (2007) 68/1,000 World (2007)

Access to clean water 29% of population

Infant mortality rate: 88.0/1,000 (2007)

Maternal mortality rate: 1,044/10,000 (2006)

UNICEF, 2009

Health

The main causes of death among children are acute malnutrition, diarrheal diseases, respiratory

infections and malaria

9

About 3.2 million Somalis are suffering from hunger and malnutrition650,000 children under the

age of five are malnourished 8% of the people are suffering

from acute malnutritionthe global threshold for

emergency food crisis is one percent

USAID, 2009

Acute and Chronic Malnutrition

Photomedia.no

10USAID, 2009

Acute and Chronic Malnutrition

42% are chronically malnourished13% of children under the age of 5 suffer from

acute malnutritionAcute malnutrition leads to:

Marasmus (wasting away of fat, muscle and other tissues);

Cretinism (limited mental and physical growth);Brain damage; Blindness and infection; and Death, particularly among children under 5

years old and adults with health problems

11

Over 250,000 refugees in Kenya are in overcrowded and inadequate refugee camps built for 90,000 peopleAbout 500 come each

dayThe consequences of

ongoing conflict, poverty and drought

UN, 2009 and CSM, 2009

Somali Refugees

© UNICEF/NYHQ2007-0008/Kamber

12

Somali children line up in the sun for food in a makeshift camp outside of Mogadishu(BBC, wikimedia.org, and (AFP/File/Mustafa Abdi))

Needless Suffering

13

THE SITUATION IS BLEAKWhat Can the “Friends of Somalia”

& Somali Diaspora Do?

14

The Save Somalia: Humanitarian and Refugee Awareness Campaign is an initiative of “Friends of Somalia” and

Somali Diaspora.

14


15

The mission of the campaign is to be the voice for the millions of Somalis who are experiencing the worst humanitarian and refugee crisis in the world in an effort to save lives and alleviate needless suffering

The goal of the campaign is to educate the public and institutions and to appeal for help to save lives and alleviate needless suffering

15

Save Somalia: Humanitarian and Refugee Awareness

16

Developed campaign packet with templates Advocacy letters to US Congress, media, and

institutions, fact sheets, news release, PSA, talking points, and PowerPoint presentation

Educate the public about the situation through Student clubs, media, presentations to faith-based

groups and international and national agencies

Engage the US Congress through: Phone calls – the easiest and the most effective Lobby Day – meeting with key members Advocacy letters to key members Information distribution

Use text message and email alert systems16

Save Somalia: Campaign Strategies

1717

Best and Easiest Way to Contact US Congress

Take ONE minute to call any member of the US Congress at (202) 224-3121. Provide your zip code, state, or the name of your Congress

member to the operator to be connected to his or her office Leave the following key messages to staff or in the answering

machine:

• Sponsor or support increased emergency food aid assistance in Somalia.

• Sponsor or support the development of a plan to provide protection and assistance to refugees in Kenya and Yemen, and internally displaced people inside Somalia.

• Sponsor or support the development of a comprehensive strategy that deals with the full range of humanitarian and refugee crisis facing Somalia.

18

• Support US-based nonprofit agencies working in Somalia. Do your own research

• Contact us to do a presentation (face-to-face or online) for your community groups

• Share with your colleagues, friends, and family information about the campaign and inquire if they would be interested in this campaign

18

What Can the Public Do?

19

More Pictures

20Photomedia.no

21

UNICEF/NYHQ2007-0008/Kamber

22

Feeding center for people living with mental illness. People are chained for their safety according to program staff. Photo by Yahoo.com

23

Feeding center for people living with mental illness. People are chained for their safety according to program staff. Photo by Yahoo.com

24A young girl walks by African troops in Somalia. Photo by US DoD

25Associate Press

26

Internally displaced people outside of Mogadishu, Somalia. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

27

Bardera, Somalia: Somalis walking towards a UN-supported feeding center. Photo by Milton Grant

28

A refugee family of six live in a makeshift shelter for weeks waiting to be registered at Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Photo by MSF.

29

President Barack Obama made the following statement in his historic inauguration speech to the world:

“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.”

3030

American public Faith-based groups Friends of Somalia Foundations International agencies Media NGOs Private and public sectors Somali Americans Universities and colleges US Congress

The Save Somalia: Humanitarian and Refugee Awareness

Campaign is an initiative of “Friends of Somalia” and

Somali Americans

To join the campaign or learn more about it, please contact:

Ahmed Elmi, M.P.H. [email protected]

301.565.0320or visit www.savesomalianow.org

Save Somalia: Campaign Target Sectors