A forecast of famine. The next rainy season is predicted to fail again.

It’s worse than anything we’ve seen while working in Somalia.

Two years of drought, considered the worst in 40 years, is killing the weakest and youngest in Somalia. Lack of clean, safe drinking water is a huge contributor to the movement of Somali families into crowded and unsanitary camps for internally displaced people. 

Families will stay on their land if it’s possible to survive but if there’s no longer a safe source of clean water for their children or even their livestock, they must leave in search of support and water. Mothers may do their best to boil what water they can find, but their children are still falling sick with diarrhea that causes severe malnutrition and more often, death. Now, cholera has been reported in parts of the country.   

Climate change, distant wars that created grain and oil shortages and internal political instability have created a perfect storm of suffering that isn’t expected to change soon.   

The need for safe access to clean water is more urgent than ever before. 

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah, (continuous charity); knowledge which is beneficial; or a virtuous descendant who prays for him.”

According to UNICEF research, only a third of Somali families have access to clean drinking water. Since 1997, Mercy-USA has played a vital role in providing safe drinking water in Somalia, digging and repairing over 800 wells. Communities with a combined population of over 750,000 persons are benefiting from this safe water program.

Give a lasting gift of Sadaqah Jariyah by donating a well to a community in Somalia.  

Each well costs $4,700 to build. You can sponsor an entire well or combine your gift with others to bring clean water to desperate families in Somalia.