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Friday, February 8, 2019 - 00:49 by

Across the Jubba River Lives a Doctor

By Simon Nyabwengi, Country Director, World Vision Somalia

She wants to be a doctor. She does not know why. But she knows it is a good thing to be one. Maybe because when she fell sick, her mother crossed the Jubba River in Southern Somalia with her to seek medication. Here she met a doctor who treated her with kindness and gave her medicine that healed her stomach ache and fever.

I met Isnina in her village across the Jubba...

It only takes a spark to end violence against children in Africa

“It only takes a spark, to get the fire going…”

The words of this old hymn come to my mind every time I think of the number of children and families on the move.

I have often wondered whether the person that set the spark off – that triggered a conflict or escalated tensions in communities – had any idea how destructive that spark would be as it uproots families and children from their day to day routines, altering their futures forever.

Many children,...

We can not forget about the 15 million children in eastern Africa going hungry

Amidst hurricanes and earthquakes, a paralyzing hunger crisis continues to grip millions of families in eastern Africa.

You could be forgiven if you’ve forgotten about it. In a media landscape dominated by entertainment personalities and natural disasters, the stubborn drought in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, along with the conflict in South Sudan rarely make global headlines.

Yet, this catastrophe is very real.

A generation of children is...

Somalia’s starvation crisis: May he live, may he live… I prayed

I recently visited the town of Baidoa in Somalia that is now ground zero for the aid response to a starvation crisis that has left almost three million people...

Coping with life away from home

As we drove towards Dhuyacley IDP camp, located between Luuq town and Hanoy village in Luuq district, Southwest of Somalia there was little activity going on. A few men could be seen putting up makeshift shelters with available sticks while women and children were seated next to their temporary homes. As soon as we pulled over, a large crowd gathered around, probably hoping or wishing that we had brought something for them. The new camp is hosting 200 families who migrated...

Flying to unknown and returning with known gratification

By Johana Kipkoech

I woke up at 4AM to prepare for this long awaited day. My airport pick and the plane’s departure were also on time. My destination was still in my mind vague since I had not bothered to check on Google Earth, as I am accustomed to, to understand the environment in which I was visiting. In a way, this was a journey of faith.

As the plane pierced the clouds, I relaxed and focused on the beauty above the clouds. The clouds below were well woven...

Impact of Community SMS Feedback Mechanism in Baki District, Somaliland

When I was given this assignment I was afraid at first. After all, I had heard of many stories about Somalia and lets say they were not very pleasant and almost frightening. But here I was, heading to this very place.

After boarding the plane to Somaliland, I must admit that the intensity of my prayers doubled. All my senses were aware of where I was headed to and my instinctive told me it was not as good as home. After all, they say ‘home is best’ and...

Hope in Resilience

Visiting the villages across the River Juba brings forth an array of mixed emotions. The lush green crops and the cool weather easily draw one to the area as you go toward the banks of River Juba from Dolow town in Gedo region of southern Somalia.

Inhabitants across the river are the Bantu Somali, farmers who rely on agricultural activities to make a living. As they live across the river they are cut off from the town including access to health facilities and...

I believe Somalia is a country full of potential

To see the communities we serve being able to stand on their own feet and be able to help themselves is my greatest joy. I have worked with WV Somalia for the last 7 years since 2008 as Food Security and Livelihood Project Manager. Over these years, I have worked in Bay and Bakool, Somaliland, and currently in Puntland.

One of my proudest projects was the Agriculture project in Wajid, where World Vision supported shallow well construction for...

Hard Lessons Shape a Better Future

The new benchmark in development thinking is resilience, which is as simple as the dictionary definition, i.e. the ability to spring back into shape, to recover from difficulties. It gets complex because no two contexts are exactly the same and the factors to be weighed in program planning are manifold.

But when someone told me there is a current discussion about whether we make communities resilient, or we strengthen the existing...