World Health Organization
Infant and Child Nutrition
The Somali Republic
Abigail Morrow
Malnutrition is very common in underdeveloped nations. While malnutrition has two components, undernutrition and micronutrient, Somalia currently struggles with undernutrition in not only adults, but also children and infants. Adequate consumption of nutrients is essential in the early years of life to a child’s survival and physical and mental health, unfortunately Somalia’s population suffers from malnutrition in multiple ways. The child mortality rate in Somalia is among the highest in the world. One of seven Somali children die before they turn five, measuring at a rate of 137 deaths per 1,000 live births. While many of these deaths are due to disease, many of them are attributed to malnutrition, and when children are malnourished, they are most vulnerable to disease. According to UNICEF nearly one million children under the age of five are estimated to be acutely malnourished in 2019, of whom 138,200 severely malnourished. It is very important to Somalia to save the lives of our children by providing proper nutrition to them.
The recent drought in Somalia has led to the loss of lives, scarcity of water and pasture and the displacement of hundreds of thousands (766,000 people-UN report July 2017). The drought disrupts food supply because the farmers do not have rain for their crops. Mohamed Farmaajo, the Somali President, has declared the current drought a national disaster. Our country is in the process of formulating its first national disaster management policy. This policy aims to improve community resilience and preparedness in the face of disasters and emergencies to significantly reduce the loss of lives and property. It also provides the legislative framework for disaster management within relevant government institutions. As the Somali government works to provide a new infrastructure when faced with natural disasters, women and children can currently visit one of the 144 women and children health centers in the nation.
Somalia recommends that the World Health Organization must work together to ensure that mothers are well nourished to decrease malnutrition and increase survival rates of infants in underdeveloped nations. Malnourished mothers are more likely to have malnourished babies, so if the committee attacks the problem by first nourishing the mothers, then children may have a better chance at survival. Somalia further urges the committee to work alongside NGOs to raise resources for nutrition in underdeveloped nations. Somalia recommends for the World Health Organization to work with our government to bring stability to our people by providing more resources, health centers, and education of nutrition for mothers.
- Abbie Morrow
