It is estimated that 29,000 children under 5 have died in southern Somalia alone.
Just three weeks ago, Mohamed was the mother of five young children. But the famine that has rocked Somalia has claimed the lives of four of them. Only a daughter remains. The others starved to death before Mohamed's eyes as she and her husband trekked to Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, in search of aid.
Thousands of parents are grieving in Somalia and in refugee camps in neighboring countries amid Somalia's worst drought in 60 years.
The drought and famine in Somalia have killed more than 29,000 children under the age of 5 in the last 90 days in southern Somalia alone, according to U.S. estimates. The U.N. says 640,000 Somali children are acutely malnourished, suggesting the death toll of small children will rise.
I cannot even imagine the horror of watching not only one but four of my children starve to death in front of my eyes.
As most who have been following this know, the militant group, al-Shabab has been blocking all relief efforts with the exception of the International Red Cross. Mrs. Clinton urged the militants to let other relief efforts through today:
WASHINGTON Aug 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday called on al Shabaab militant Islamists to allow food aid into famine-hit areas of Somalia and said aid agencies would not be penalized if some of their assistance inadvertently ends up in militant hands.
Clinton accused al Shabaab, which controls large parts of the Horn of Africa country, of deliberately blocking emergency food supplies to some of the 3.7 million people in urgent need of assistance.
"It is particularly tragic that during the holy month of Ramadan, al Shabaab are preventing assistance to the most vulnerable populations in Somalia," Clinton said in remarks with the visiting Canadian foreign minister.
Obama has stepped up in making it easier for various aid groups and relaxing some restrictions:
Reporting from Washington—
The Obama administration is intensifying efforts to deliver food to famine-stricken Somalia, easing restrictions on humanitarian aid groups so they won't be penalized if they inadvertently help Al Qaeda-linked militants battling for power in the country.
With the worst famine in decades stirring worldwide alarm, the new rules are intended to provide "more flexibility and to allow a wider range of aid to a larger number of areas in need," a senior administration official said Tuesday.
According to anOP-Edin the LA Times written July 22, 2011 by UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon, he pleaded with readers as they only have about half of what they need to deal with the current crisis.
That is why I reach out today: to focus global attention on this crisis, to sound the alarm and to call on the world's people to help Somalia in this moment of greatest need. To save the lives of the people at risk — the vast majority of them women and children — we need about $1.6 billion in aid. So far, international donors have given only half that amount. To turn the tide, to offer hope in the name of our common humanity, we must mobilize worldwide.
This means everyone. I appeal to all nations — both those that fund our work year in and year out, and those that do not traditionally give through the multinational system — to step up to the challenge. On July 25, in Rome, U.N. agencies will gather to coordinate our emergency response and to raise funds for immediate assistance.
Meanwhile, we must all ask ourselves, as individual citizens, how we can help. This might mean private donations, as in previous humanitarian emergencies in Indonesia after the tsunami or Haiti after the earthquake, or it could mean pushing elected representatives toward a more robust response. Even in the best of circumstances, this may not be enough. There is a real danger we cannot meet all the needs.
If you have time, read his whole OP-Ed...it's worth it. Our problems are so miniscule compared to this.