Date : 09/2019

Country/Region : SOMALIA

Title : Somalia : a drought named Sima

Duration : 00:02:19

Director : HUSSEIN DAHIR, Anisa

Cameraman : HUSSEIN DAHIR, Anisa

Editor : NG'ANG'A KAMAU, Mark

Keyword : DROUGHT; WOMAN; TESTIMONY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; MATERIAL ASSISTANCE

Confidentiality level : public

Publication restrictions : publication without restrictions

Copyright : ICRC

Production company : ICRC

ICRC producer :
HUSSEIN DAHIR, Anisa

Description : Only the most vicious of droughts get a name. The current one in Somalia is named Sima which means "equal" in the Somali language because the drought is hammering everyone equally hard.
Mahanaw came in the 1980s and this drought mostly affected rural villages. In the 1990s, the communities faced another drought named Mahadiid which was made worse by the civil war. These two droughts mostly affected livestock, the main lifeline for Somali communities. Today, Somalis are living through yet another: Sima. It is apparently the worst of the three.
Sima is said to have started in 2011, triggering a famine that claimed the lives of a quarter of a million people. While the world has largely moved on, for some people, the drought has never ended, but ebbed and flowed in severity.
Between the years 2016 and 2017 Somalia faced one of its most severe droughts due to consecutive poor rainy seasons which pushed the country to the brink of famine with over half of the population in desperate need of assistance. The drought triggered crop failure and high levels of livestock deaths and sickness. Towns and villages were painted with dots of animal carcasses from one corner to the other.
Fast forward to 2019, the rains came late and when they did come, they were not enough. Crops failed. It was harder to keep livestock alive. Communities once again were plunged into crisis and today, food is a constant struggle for many.
For some, aid is the only means of survival that they know. International Committee of the Red CRoss (ICRC) teams cannot make the rains come, but they are doing what they can. More than 9,200 families in Galgaduud are receiving cash that we hope will help them meet their most pressing needs. We are doing this across 11 regions, reaching some 186,000 people with cash and will then follow up with seeds and planting tools and other initiatives to help people recover.

Original language : English

Other language : International soundtrack

English title : Somalia : a drought named Sima

Colour/B&W : colour

SD/HD : HD

Resolution : 1080 x 1080

Aspect ratio : square

Original material/format : H264

Best material/format available : ProRes 422