Somalia

Healthcare

In Somalia’s conflict-affected areas, access to basic healthcare remains a challenge. International Medical Corps provides vital healthcare services and strengthens local capacity through the training and education of local health workers. We support 44 health facilities, including hospitals, health centres, and mobile health and nutrition teams, which serve remote and urban populations, including internally displaced persons (IDPs). We deliver primary and secondary healthcare services to almost 1 million people annually across four regions: Banadir, Bay, Hirshabelle and Mudug. Our six mobile teams address the health needs of those in hard-to-reach areas.

International Medical Corps offers the following healthcare services in Somalia:

• outpatient and inpatient consultations for common illnesses across all age groups, covering both communicable and noncommunicable diseases, as well as MHPSS;
• routine immunisations for children under 5 and pregnant women;
• basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care (BEmONC) and comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care (CEmONC);
• antenatal and postnatal care, including nutrition screening and referral for pregnant and lactating women (PLW);
• integrated community case management, and training community health workers to diagnose and treat common childhood illnesses, such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea;
• clinical management of rape, including psychosocial support for survivors;
• health education and promotion in communities and health facilities;
• emergency response to outbreaks of disease, including acute watery diarrhoea and measles;
• referral services within and outside the facilities we support;
• supply of personal protective equipment, and infection prevention and control (IPC) materials;
• community awareness campaigns on infectious diseases and environmental hazards;
• disease surveillance and health data reporting to authorities, including the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the UN Health Cluster;
• research to inform programming and increase demand for health services; and
• innovative interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality rates and enhance health monitoring and evaluation.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Somalia has significant WASH needs due to poor sanitation, inadequate hygiene and lack of access to safe water, combined with severe drought conditions and seasonal flooding. More than 5.2 million people are projected to require WASH assistance in 2025.

Our emergency WASH interventions address critical needs in vulnerable communities by enhancing water supply and improving sanitation through community-driven programmes and behaviour-change strategies. International Medical Corps constructs WASH infrastructure in health centres, camps and communities, including borehole drilling, pipeline extensions, rainwater harvesting systems, water storage containers and rehabilitating shallow wells with motorised solar pumps.

Our WASH initiatives also include community hygiene promotion, solid waste management, IPC and distributing hygiene kits to create safer environments. We train local staff and community water-management committees to ensure sustainability through proper operation and maintenance of water supply systems.

International Medical Corps serves as the WASH Cluster focal point for the Mudug region and is an active member of technical working groups and the WASH Cluster strategic review committee.

Nutrition

Somalia has long struggled with chronic food insecurity, worsened by poor agricultural practices and frequent natural disasters. According to the Post-Deyr 2024 IPC analysis, about 1.7 million children aged 6–59 months will suffer from acute malnutrition through December 2025, with 466,000 likely to be severely malnourished.

In response, we are implementing comprehensive nutrition programmes across 70 facilities in Banadir, Bay, Galmudug and Hirshabelle, targeting malnutrition in children under 5 and PLW. We combine direct nutrition services with capacity-building measures to strengthen local health systems and promote positive behavioural change.

Our nutrition services include:

• growth monitoring and nutritional screening for children;
• inpatient and outpatient management of acute malnutrition;
• preventive nutrition services, such as blanket supplementary feeding programmes for children and PLW;
• micronutrient supplementation and deworming;
• health and nutrition education;
• training health workers on integrated management of acute malnutrition; and
  community activities, including peer support groups.

International Medical Corps also provides cash transfers in Jowhar district to help vulnerable populations meet immediate food security needs. Through this multi-sectoral approach, we prevent and treat malnutrition while building long-term community capacity.

Protection

International Medical Corps offers medical care to survivors of violence against women and girls, helping them to overcome the trauma of rape, female genital mutilation and other physical violence. Our protection programme addresses the complex challenges faced by women and girls affected by violence and disaster, particularly IDPs. Our initiatives focus on four key districts: Baidoa, Galkacyo, Jowhar and Mogadishu. Our teams provide comprehensive case management, including medical care and psychosocial support for survivors of violence. We also promote healing at eight women’s and girls’ safe spaces.

International Medical Corps engages communities through outreach teams to raise awareness about violence and foster positive social norms. These teams facilitate community dialogues and distribute dignity kits to women and girls, providing essential items for menstrual hygiene.

Capacity Building

International Medical Corps has extensive experience providing training in Somalia, where we work closely with local health professionals in clinical and non-clinical areas. We support the Somalia MoH through training and on-the-job mentoring, following the Somali national curriculum and internationally accredited guidelines, including WHO recommendations.

Our training covers:

• medical and surgical case management for adults and children;
• BEmONC and CEmONC;
• IPC;
• community health programming;
• integrated management of acute malnutrition;
• MHPSS;
• prevention of and response to violence against women and girls;
• community-led total sanitation; and
• management of mass-casualty incidents and basic emergency care.

By collaborating with community organisations—including health centre committees and mother-to-mother support groups—International Medical Corps enhances local capacity to address public health needs. We also train female health workers and community health workers to provide health, nutrition and hygiene education, to help prevent illnesses and ensure communities can manage health challenges independently.