Mogadishu - This World Humanitarian Day, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) recognizes the vital role played by aid workers that are working tirelessly to help Somali communities recover and rebuild their lives as they experience multiple ongoing humanitarian crises.

More than 7.7 million people in Somalia are facing extreme hunger as the country suffers from its worst drought in recent history. So far, more than 1 million people have been displaced since 2021. An expected fifth failed rainy season is bound to displace even more families. 

The drought is hitting the country as communities recover from decades of recurrent droughts and floods, conflict, economic shocks and disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theme of WHD 2022 “it takes a village” shines a light on the collective effort required to help people in crisis. Responders from IOM Somalia, most of them local staff from Somalia, work tirelessly day in and day out to provide emergency water, sanitation, hygiene and shelter to people, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what they need.

“IOM has had a presence in Somalia since 2006, as an operational and field-based organization,” said Frantz Celestin, IOM Somalia’s Chief of Mission. “The selfless commitment and efforts of IOM humanitarian and medical workers that strive every single day, often in harsh conditions, to alleviate the suffering of millions should be recognised not only today, but throughout the year.”

Since the beginning of the year, IOM staff have scaled-up efforts to reach hundreds of thousands of people affected by the extreme drought.

“Our amazing colleagues are putting their lives on the line to make sure vulnerable families have access to life-saving essentials during the current drought which is devastating many lives,” said Hassan Gabow, IOM Senior Project Assistant, and who has been working in Dollow for years assisting displaced persons.

What began in 2003 as a commemoration of 22 humanitarians killed – including a former senior UN official, Sergio Vieira de Mello – by a bomb at the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, has since turned into a global celebration of the humanitarian spirit. 

World Humanitarian Day honours those humanitarian workers who have lost their lives as well as those who continue to put themselves at risk to provide aid to people in need. It is also a day to recognize the work being done by people within their own communities, and inspire others to be involved, active and engaged in demanding and creating a more humane world.