Fighting malnutrition and undernourishment at the Shibis Health Center, Somalia

"I have been coming to the Shibis Health Centre for two years. Here I receive my son's food ration every month, a food supplement that is indispensable for my son to grow up well. My family and I are not able to buy adequate food, it is too expensive". These are the words of Deko Ali, a mother of four who attends the Health Centre in Shibis, a district in south-east Somalia, for monthly distributions of therapeutic food.

"The centre has given me valuable advice on how to take care of myself during pregnancy. I also gained more knowledge about the value of nutrition and now feel much more aware of my health," said Fadumo Ahmed, a pregnant mother of six. She comes from a vulnerable community and lives in Jardinka village, also located in Shibis district.

The Shibis Health Centre is supported by CISP in collaboration with the World Food Programme to help reduce morbidity and mortality associated with acute malnutrition in children and pregnant and lactating mothers. The centre addresses the problems of acute and moderate malnutrition and prevents further deterioration of the food security of affected families through the distribution of therapeutic food rations and protection programmes.