The effects of drought, famine and armed conflict on children in Somalia have been devastating. Including the loss of many young lives, Somali children live with severe long-term effects on their development and Arising from psychological trauma and lack of proper nutrients at critical stages of their lives.

 Decades of civil war and conflict have left many children in Somalia uprooted from their homes or deprived of their parents or both at the same time. Whereas traditionally children would be cared for by other family members, this has not been the case due primarily to the breakdown of family structures amidst civil unrest and migration caused by drought or violence. Hundreds of thousands of children have been left alone to fend for themselves, mired in poverty and exposed to all kinds of risks and dangers. 

SSYDO Formation and training of child protection committees, community dialogue meetings and support to community led initiatives on child protection, translation of key legal and policy documents into local languages, data collection on violation of children’s rights and supporting  formal education for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Somalia.