Roughly 40 years ago, the blue-green waters along with a strong Mediterranean resemblance, once made Somalia, particularly Mogadishu, the country’s capital, a bustling tourist haven. Mogadishu was considered one the cleanest and safest cities in Africa. Sadly, the Somalia of yesterday is no more. Today, Somalia is considered one the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. Presently, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and are suffering from starvation and disease. Two major factors are contributing toward Somalia growing disease crisis; drought and civil war. (Langfitt)
Somalia has been suffering from the worst drought seen decades. Drought situations have caused malnutrition rates to soar throughout Somalia. In fact, malnutrition rates in Somalia are among the highest in the world: in the south, one in four children will die before reaching the age of five. Drought conditions have caused low food and feed supplies, which had led to malnutrition, which leads to low immune systems leaving the people of Somalia more susceptible to disease and death. (Langfitt)
The Somali climate is divided into four seasons; the gu, hagaa, day, and the jiilaal. The gu is the main rainy season, typically lasting late March through late June. Gu is followed by a short dry spell, the hagaa that lasts from June through September, and with the end of the hagaa, comes the second rainy season, the day. The day begins in October and ends in late November. The cycle of seasons is completed by the long dry season known as the jiilall, which starts in December and continues until the onset of the gu.
The gu season is the most plentiful of the four. The rains help to produce a fresh supply of pastu...
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...org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130384028 . NPR, 07 Oct 2010. Web. 30 Mar 2011.
UNICEF, "http://www.unicef.org." http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/somalia_55880.html. N.p., 02 Sept 2010. Web. 18 Mar 2011.
UNICEF, "http://www.unicef.org." http://www.unicef.org/somalia/health_99.html0. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2011.
United Nations Nation Unies, "http://www.reliefweb.int." (http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2011.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/ASAZ-8DMKCS-full_report.pdf/$File/full_report.pdf. Relief Web, 12 2010/01 2011. Web. 16 Mar 2011
UN Refugee Agency, "http://www.unhcr.org." http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e483ad6.html. N.p., 2011. Web. 14 Mar 2011.
Wooldridge, Frosty. "http://beforeitsnews.com." http://beforeitsnews.com/story/468/146/Somalian_and_African_starvation_rates_and_malnutrition.html. Before It's News, 08 Mar 2011. Web. 30 Mar 2011.
The purpose of this document is to discuss the horrible acts one may recognize as the genocide in Somalia. One may deliberate regularly on the reasons or circumstances that lead to the mistreatment and killings of a whole country; how could this happen? Why are no other countries willing to step in and give aid to the Somali people whom are suffering on a daily basis? In reality, many concerns have been addressed, whether by discussions or actions. There may be different philosophies or viewpoints as to why the genocide was conducted and not stopped. Genocide is a cruel and inhumane event and is a world problem.
Due in part to its tumultuous past, sub-Saharan Africa is a region of the world that is stricken with war, famine, and poverty. Many people in richer parts of the world, including North America and Europe, view helping the people who inhabit this part of the world as their duty and obligation. Both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governmental organizations such as the United Nations (UN) alike send humanitarian aid to sub-Saharan Africa. While this aid helps countless individuals and their families, humanitarian aid in sub-Saharan Africa fuels further conflict and enables violent groups, undermining the goals of the aid itself.
Worldwide, 870 million people — about one in eight— are hungry. That is nearly three times the population of the United States. It is hard to imagine in the modern world that a country cannot feed its people, but in 1984, the Ethiopian Famine took over one million lives. There were many causes that contributed to the complications faced in Ethiopia. These problems received major attention in the global Community. The famine drastically changed people’s lives because of the lack of food and resources and affected Ethiopia to our present day.
"SOMALIA CONFERENCE - Facts, Figures and Major Problems of Somalia." Facts, Figures and Major Problems of Somalia. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2014.
Like most African countries, Somalia is a developing country, and the statistics of the country and its demographics really show it. Somalia’s population is roughly ten million, and the median age is seventeen years and their life expectancy is around fifty five. Approximately one third of the population lives in urban areas, with a 3.8% rate of change. Only 29% of the Somali population have water that is safe to drink. The country is mostly Islamic and 85% of the population are Somali. They sit on the East coast of Africa on the Indian Ocean, which gives them easy access to the passing cargo ships (muni).
In this assessment my main focus will be on Somalia. I will briefly touch on its
According to a few world hunger organizations, the five main causes of hunger in the third world are natural disasters, war, the poverty trap, agricultural infrastructure and over-exploitation of resources. Natural disasters such as droughts, floods and storms cause crops to be destroyed or peop...
Apart from winters, the summer and spring is also pleasant in Guadeloupe and one can enjoy these weathers from the month of June till late November. During this period, one can easily get some affordable deals on flights to Guadeloupe and discount offers on hotel stay at the best accommodation locations of the city.
On December 30th, 1990, the Mogadishu residents waked in quiet, hot and humid morning to embark on their daily routine. The students hurried to schools, stores opened their doors for business, the open market displayed few basic items on their shelves and the bargain hunters roamed pushing one another in the narrow open market lanes. The tea shops along main streets blasted the latest music and served hot and cold drinks. The government employees sat behind their desks and helped only those who could pay for services. By midday, people retreated to their homes for lunch and siesta. Then in late afternoon the first gunshots of the Somali Civil War were fired in the north section of the city near the livestock market.
Friedman, U. (2011, July 19). What It took for the U.N to declare famine in Somalia. Retrieved
Laura Smith – Spark on www.cnn.com writes, “Half of the 258,000 Somalis who died in the famine were children younger than 5.” (Smith-Spark et al. May 02, 2013) Somalia was once considered to be one of the most prosperous countries in Africa, but now is considered as one of the worse. How did this horrible transition occur to such a prosperous country? This horrendous result is due to the famine, lack of resources, and lack of trade. Oxfam International states, “Famines result from a combination “triple failure” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions"). This triple failure includes production, access, and response failures. Somalia has been the victim of a two-year drought. Oxfam International states, “particularly in the expectation of the next harvest being 50% of normal.” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions") Because Somalia cannot feed its people, this issue creates malnutrition and affects all ages, especially the young. This is a massive problem in their economic system. The young die too early, therefore creating a gap in the age distribution, which can affect Somalia’s work force in the future. This could also make the economic system weaker. If the only people living in Somalia are old, then there will not be any work done. One reason that they die so young is because of the lack of food. The availability of the food is minimal. Oxfam International states, “The drought has killed off the pastoralists’ prime livestock assets (up to 90% animal mortality in some areas), slashing further their purchasing power.” ("Famine in Somalia: causes and solutions") Somalia ‘s access to its food is limited because the people of Somalia cannot feed their animals. The people of Somalia also cannot trade for food, because dead...
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced, “Somalia's drought and refugee crisis is the most severe humanitarian emergency in the world, (UNHCR, 2011). Although estimates vary, about 800,000 people have left Somalia seeking asylum. Most now reside in refugee camps in bordering Kenya and Ethiopia. Many trek for days with little or food to seek safety and assistance in refugee camps only to find conditions that are no better. Host nations and humanitarian organizations cannot support the vast number of refugees that have already crossed the border and thousands more arrive every day. Maintenance of the current course of action is not the answer. Besides conjuring more international assistance and humanitarian aid, it is vital that more permanent solutions are pursued.
“For most of the history of our species we were helpless to understand how nature works. We took every storm, drought, illness and comet personally. We created myths and spirits in an attempt to explain the patterns of nature (Druyan).” According to Fox, Drought came also be seen as a slow- motion train wreck. We still have a very short time to get the people off safely before the crash. This drought is causing long dry period in regions were rain fall is usually frequent enough. From there this drought is turning to more like a famine because the area in drought is so huge and is causing much conflict for the survival of the people (2011). These areas include Somalia, southern Ethiopia, and northern Kenya.
Famine has struck parts of Africa several times during the 20th century, and to this day is still going strong. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the average African consumes 2300 kcal/day, less than the global average of 2700 kcal/day. Recent figures estimate that 316 million Africans, or approximately 35 percent of the continent's total population, is undernourished. Although hunger in Africa is hardly new, it now occurs in a world that has more than enough food to feed all its citizens. Moreover, while Africa's population is growing rapidly, it still has ample fertile land for growing food. Hunger therefore reflects not absolute food scarcity but rather people's lack of access to resources—whether at the individual, house-hold, comunity, or national leve that are needed to produce or purchase adequate food supplies. The reasons people cannot obtain enough food are: several different historical patterns of in equality. These patterns include the in equalities between Africa and its former colonisers or contemporary financiers, and between Africa's rich and poor. It also includes in equality between members of the same households, where food and the resources needed to obtain it (such as land and income) are often unevenly distributed between men and women, old and young. Whatever the reasons for food deprivation, when the result is malnutrition it can do damage, increasing diseases such as malaria, rickets, anemia, and perhaps acquired immune deficiency syndrome aka AIDS Mal-nourished children suffer stunted growth and, often, learning problems. Malnourished adults have less energy to work. Over the long term, inadequate nourishment can cast communities into a cycle o...