63% of children in Somalia face severe food poverty
About 63 percent of children in Somalia, or two out of three, experience extreme food poverty in early childhood.
In a report on Tuesday, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said 50 percent of Somalia's children are likely to suffer from life-threatening malnutrition.
Among children aged 6 - 23 months, only 1 in 5 are fed eggs, fish, chicken or meat, and two in three do not consume vegetables or fruits.
UNICEF says it will work with the government and other partners to improve the food system for young children and enable families to get a variety of foods available in Somalia, especially fish, meat, fruits and vegetables.
About 4 million people are facing a crisis or emergency food shortage and 1.7 million children are facing malnutrition in Somalia, including 430,000 who are likely to be severely malnourished in 2024.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said $1.6 billion in funding is needed for the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan (HNRP) in Somalia but only $507 million has been received as of August 2 this year.
