CHILDREN FORCED OUT OF SCHOOL DUE TO SEVERE DROUGHT - SOMALIA
One third of children in Somalia's drought-affected areas risk of dropping out of school,according to the United Nations report a shortage of food and water has left more than 6.2 million people urgently in need of help.
The drought in the Horn of Africa is threatening the lives of millions and almost three million are going hungry for some days now. Three million children in the country have been missing school and more than 100,000 are likely to join them,states the UN.
Somalia's newly-elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared a "national disaster" due to the drought on Tuesday.
The Horn of Africa nation is among three countries - along with Yemen and Nigeria - that the aid agencies say are on the verge of famine.
The desperate search for water and food proving particularly difficult especially for children.
"I would love to go back to school but I have been forced to leave because I am the eldest child in my family and this calls for me to work at home to support my siblings," Sadia Omar, a former student, told the media.
"I fetch water and grass for the animals but now because of the drought work has doubled."
Severe drought has been forcing families to migrate in search of help.
"The number of children at this school [in the Dhuma Dhuma area] has halved in just three months," she said.
"Families here live off their livestock and they are doing all they could to keep their animals alive. If that means keeping their children out of school to look after them, many families are prepared to make the sacrifice."
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The drought in the Horn of Africa is threatening the lives of millions and almost three million are going hungry for some days now. Three million children in the country have been missing school and more than 100,000 are likely to join them,states the UN.
Somalia's newly-elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared a "national disaster" due to the drought on Tuesday.
The Horn of Africa nation is among three countries - along with Yemen and Nigeria - that the aid agencies say are on the verge of famine.
The desperate search for water and food proving particularly difficult especially for children.
"I would love to go back to school but I have been forced to leave because I am the eldest child in my family and this calls for me to work at home to support my siblings," Sadia Omar, a former student, told the media.
"I fetch water and grass for the animals but now because of the drought work has doubled."
Severe drought has been forcing families to migrate in search of help.
"The number of children at this school [in the Dhuma Dhuma area] has halved in just three months," she said.
"Families here live off their livestock and they are doing all they could to keep their animals alive. If that means keeping their children out of school to look after them, many families are prepared to make the sacrifice."
Ends.....