Attachments
On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, World Vision Somalia launched the ENOUGH Campaign in Mogadishu, the capital of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The launch was well-attended, with representation from the Government, including the Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia as the Chief Guest, distinguished ministers and members of parliament, UN country representatives from WFP, OCHA, UNICEF, and FAO, civil society organizations, local and international organizations, children's rights advocates, donors, and World Vision East Africa Region leadership.
In his opening remarks, World Vision Somalia National Director Kevin Mackey reiterated that the task of ending child malnutrition is the work of many hands, reiterating that it will take a comprehensive approach to end hunger and malnutrition in Somalia. “In Somalia, children are continuing to bear the brunt of an unequal food system disrupted by conflicts and climate change. He noted that in Somalia, in 2024, 1.7 million children aged between 6 and 59 months faced acute malnutrition including 430,000 who are severely malnourished. We believe this is unacceptable,” Mackey said.
“Every child deserves the food they need to develop a healthy body and mind. Every family has the right to be able to put enough of the right food on the table. In this room, are assembled many of the people who are best-placed to take action to ensure that every child enjoys enough nourishing food so that they can thrive.
Today, we hope to unpack the reasons for these stark numbers to understand the technical and structural issues which lead to them. We hope to explore how conflict and the impacts of climate change are making it harder for families to secure enough food.
The ENOUGH Campaign, Mackey said, is ‘World Vision’s efforts to mobilise our humanitarian and development partners and peers’ collective voice against child hunger and malnutrition. “World Vision cannot end hunger and malnutrition in Somalia alone and we look forward to our valued partnership with all of you to address these challenges,” Mackey said.
The launch also featured a panel discussion which explored food insecurity challenges in Somalia seeking selected experts views on how they can be addressed. Climate change emerged as a cross-cutting challenge in contributing to cyclical food insecurity in Somalia. The panel of experts drawn from Government, Humanitarian Partners, including children representative called for strenghtening of food systems, resilience building, durable solutions, prioritisation of nutrition senstive policies and prevention.
World Vision East Africa Regional Leader Lilian Dodzo reminded the audience that behind every statistic of hunger and malnutrition was a human life.
“Distinguished guests, children in Somalia and across Africa are counting on us to join together and address the challenges of hunger and malnutrition, and the time is NOW. “We know the world has enough to provide food and care for every child facing hunger and malnutrition, but this is not the reality right now, as statistics have shown,” she said.
She called for collectiveness in fighting the scourge of malnutrition and hunger. “By uniting, we can become a powerful force in eradicating child malnutrition. It is therefore imperative that we prioritise addressing these root causes and key drivers of hunger and malnutrition, while being sensitive to listen to the voices of the children.”
Ruth Koshal, the Director of Advocacy and External Engagement at World Vision East Africa Region outlined the key components of the ENOUGH Campaign.
"The ENOUGH Campaign has the following key advocacy asks: 1. Listening to children 2. Enough of the right food for children in crises 3. School meals can change the world for Children 4. Children must be counted 4. Nutrition policies and services 5. Enough funding for child malnutrition.”