Mother's Journey With Ill Daughter Sheds Light on Somalia's Hunger Crisis

WHO:

ABC News - Halima Abdullahi Ibrahim is the mother carrying her daughter.

ABC News - Asho Hassan Abdi is the 3-year-old daughter suffering from severe malnutrition.

ABC News - Ismail Garas is the Jubbaland Health Minister.

ABC News - Sandra Lattouf is the Somalia representative for UNICEF.

ABC News - Ali Adan Ali is Jubbaland’s commissioner for refugees and internally displaced people.

ABC News - Hans Henric Lundquist is Sweden’s ambassador to Somalia.

WHAT:

ABC News - Halima walked for three days carrying her daughter nearly 90 kilometers (56 miles) to a hospital.

ABC News - Asho was diagnosed with edema, a symptom of severe acute malnutrition.

ABC News - Approximately 1.92 million Somali children aged 6 months to nearly 5 years are suffering from or are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition over a one-year period ending in June 2027.

ABC News - Of those, 433,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

ABC News - The Kismayo Referral Hospital admitted 152 children with severe acute malnutrition in August, with four deaths reported.

WHERE:

ABC News - The journey began in a village in Somalia and ended at Kismayo Referral Hospital.

ABC News - The Luglow settlement is located on the outskirts of Kismayo, Somalia.

WHEN:

ABC News - The one-year period for malnutrition treatment is expected to end in June 2027.

ABC News - The hospital reported the admission of children in August.

WHY:

ABC News - The malnutrition crisis is exacerbated by disease outbreaks, food insecurity, and limited access to health services, clean water, and sanitation.

ABC News - Expected flooding associated with El Niño could displace more families and hinder access to services.

ABC News - Humanitarian organizations are facing reduced resources to respond to the crisis.

HOW:

ABC News - Halima carried her daughter on foot for three days to reach medical care.

ABC News - UNICEF and local health workers are involved in providing assistance at nutrition centers.

(UPDATED October 12, 2026 06:08 UTC)

Halima Abdullahi Ibrahim walked for three days, covering nearly 90 kilometers to bring her severely malnourished daughter, Asho Hassan Abdi, to the Kismayo Referral Hospital, where Asho was diagnosed with edema. Currently, approximately 1.92 million Somali children are suffering from or are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition, with 433,000 of those facing severe cases, as the crisis worsens due to disease outbreaks, food insecurity, and limited access to essential services. Humanitarian organizations are struggling with reduced resources, and with expected flooding linked to El Niño, the situation may become even more dire for families in need of assistance.