What I saw there, what stayed with me, and what I need to share with you now. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌







I had the privilege of listening to Somali mothers share with me how they made their long journey to camps like this one in Baidoa, in search of food and water.
Dear friend,

I recently traveled to Somalia to experience firsthand how Mercy Corps is working with communities to address the ongoing hunger crisis.

I could see and feel the impact of rainless skies everywhere I went in Somalia. The earth cracked below my feet. The air was hot and dry. In a camp outside the city, I met people who had no option but to walk — sometimes for weeks — to find food and water for their families.

I met two women in just one day whose children died from malnutrition on a week-long journey on foot to find help. They had to bury them alongside the road.

More than 7.8 million people, roughly half of Somalia’s population, are hungry, and an estimated 386,000 children could die without urgent treatment for severe acute malnutrition.
After difficult treks from their rural villages to the camps, many people are malnourished and suffering from related illnesses. They seek treatment, food, water, and shade from the hot sun in temporary shelters.
In the midst of these heartbreaking scenes, I also saw firsthand how, despite limited resources, humanitarian organizations are rushing to provide lifesaving assistance to millions of displaced people to try to prevent the situation from worsening.

Here are some of the ways Mercy Corps is helping communities in Somalia cope today, while laying the groundwork for people to thrive in the future:
    We’re trucking in emergency drinking water for people and for their precious livestock.
 
    We’re rehabilitating dried-out irrigation channels, employing approximately 8,500 Somalis to complete this work so far.
 
    We’ve provided seeds to more than 11,000 farmers, and offered training on climate-resilient agricultural practices.
 
    We’re distributing food, water, and cash — so that people can buy exactly what they need most.
Mercy Corps has delivered lifesaving humanitarian assistance to almost 600,000 drought-affected Somalis in the last 12 months.
Mercy Corps distributes cash to help families purchase essential items like food, medicine, and clothing, while supporting local markets.
I left Somalia feeling inspired by our work and by the people I met, but the severity and weight of the crisis followed me home. The time to act is now.

Since 2005, Mercy Corps has been working side-by-side with communities in Somalia — and we’ll continue to be there, providing long-term support for what comes next.

From wherever you are in the world, I hope you’ll be there too — supporting us through your actions and generosity and helping to fuel our work in Somalia and in 40+ countries. Please consider making your very first donation to Mercy Corps today. Together, we can achieve lasting change.
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Thank you for being alongside us in this work.

Gratefully,

Tjada D’Oyen McKenna Tjada D’Oyen McKenna
Tjada D’Oyen McKenna,
Mercy Corps Chief Executive Officer


P.S. I hope you will take a moment to read the full article about my visit to Somalia and what Mercy Corps is doing to help. You can also follow me on Twitter for real-time updates.