Inside the informal refugee settlements that have mushroomed around towns like Wajir, men are conspicuously missing. As drought ravages the vast and barren expanse of northern Kenya, decimating livestock and displacing hundreds of pastoralist communities, rather than stay in the settlements, the men have opted to salvage whatever little livestock is left by scouring the … Continued

  At the therapeutic feeding centre of Balbala, on the outskirts of the capital city Djibouti, Abdelfattah, 20-months-old, stares suspiciously at the visitors who have just walked in. Report by Najwa Mekki, Balbala, Djibouti. As he swallows a spoonful of what looks like thin sorghum paste that his mother is slowly feeding him, Abdelfattah seems … Continued

In the middle of the dry river bed, in Kenya, children and adults alike worked to collect water from the dirty puddle at the bottom of the pit. Taking small, quick scoops in order to avoid the grit, the group patiently gathered just enough water for drinking. Without sediment, the water looked clean, but no … Continued

Foday Ali’s five-month-old baby is looking around, showing signs of life for the first time in four days since she was admitted to the Banadir Paediatric Unit in Mogadishu for severe malnutrition. She was born in an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camp in Mogadishu just days after her mother completed the 25 kilometre walk from … Continued

UNICEF provides life-saving emergency nutrition intervention to drought-affected communities in Kenya. At the paediatric ward in Lodwar District Hospital, the persistent rasping sound of babies coughing slashes through the stillness in the room. Admitted with a variety of different ailments, the toddlers and infants occupying beds at this unit in the northwest of Kenya all … Continued

  Gearing up to deliver ‘unprecedented quantities’ of aid in the Horn of Africa The eyes of the world are turned to the Horn of Africa, where a humanitarian disaster threatens the survival of millions. With famine declared in five areas in southern Somalia – and the United Nations warning that it could quickly spread … Continued

Habib Isack has left her home in Wajid, southern Somalia, for the first time – but not by choice. Drought killed her crops and her livestock. Sheer desperation drove her to take her children and set out on foot for Doolow, near the border with Ethiopia, in search of help. Report by Chris Niles VIDEO: … Continued

Immunisation reduces threat of disease outbreaks around refugee camps in Kenya. At Malayley on the outskirts of the massive Dadaab refugee settlement in Kenya’s North Eastern Province, screams pierce the air as children receive their measles vaccinations with the jab of a needle. Those next in line cling fearfully to their parents, one cry triggering … Continued

More than 80 per cent of the Somali refugees crossing into Kenya are women and children. Many of the families I see cueing at the Dadaab refugee reception centres are headed by mothers, grandmothers and older sisters. I often wonder where all the men have gone. This dearth of men is what makes Abdile all … Continued

History is repeating itself in the Horn of Africa. Images of severely malnourished children – and of people walking great distances across parched earth in search of food and water – haunt the public conscience. A combination of drought, conflict and soaring food prices is turning deadly for the region’s most vulnerable children and families. … Continued

Chris Tidey is a UNICEF communications officer presently supporting emergency relief efforts in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Today is his 30th birthday. Can you describe the situation of staff and volunteers – what are their days like, their work, their hours, etc? UNICEF staff here in Dadaab are bringing an incredible amount of … Continued

Today, I accompanied the UNICEF truck on the 2 hour drive to Liboi, about 10 km from the Somali border. Many refugees are using Liboi as a transit point before moving on to Dadaab, some 90km away. Report by Christopher Tidey, UNICEF Spokesperson in Kenya. UNICEF is working with local authorities to expand medical capacity … Continued