The Importance of Breastfeeding
Breastmilk is a miraculous source of nutrition for babies.
According to the World Health Organization, “breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year.” This complete nutrient package offers long-term benefits that help babies’ development and decrease their chance of illness later in life. It also helps mothers, reducing their risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
Not only is breastmilk a perfect source of nutrients for babies, but it is also ideal in difficult settings where clean water, sanitation, safe food, or money for food are scarce. In these circumstances, breastfeeding offers unmatched protection and nourishment. It supports both the immediate survival and long-term health of infants in three key ways:
- It is uncontaminated, reducing the risk of waterborne and foodborne illnesses.
- It provides antibodies that help protect against a wide range of diseases.
- It is free and accessible.
These three attributes make breastfeeding one of the most effective ways to combat malnutrition, particularly in resource-constrained areas.
Breastfeeding as a solution for malnutrition in Somalia
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis in 2025. Nearly 1.8 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition, and 4.4 million people are experiencing food insecurity. Years of drought, ongoing conflict, and widespread displacement have pushed families to the edge. According to the latest Somalia Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, the situation continues to deteriorate—and amid funding cuts, urgent humanitarian support is critical to meet growing needs.
Breastfeeding has an important role to play in reducing malnutrition rates. It has been hailed by researchers as “the best natural resource to improve childhood nutrition throughout the world” due to its ability to prevent childhood malnutrition, including wasting, stunting, over- and underweight and micronutrient deficiencies. However, UNICEF reports that only 1 in 3 babies born in Somalia are exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life.
Increasing breastfeeding awareness in Somalia has the potential to significantly uplift the long-term health outcomes of babies. Every day, caregivers arrive at Action Against Hunger’s center, carrying babies in need of care. Action Against Hunger staff offer malnutrition treatment services and breastfeeding counseling for caregivers to support them. Since January 2025, Action Against Hunger’s Stabilization Center in Mogadishu has treated 1,463 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and counselled 8,848 mothers on good nutritional practices like breastfeeding.
Maria’s story
In the farming town of Qoryooley, Maria Yonis and her family lived a modest but stable life, growing their own food and selling any extra in local markets. But in 2022, Somalia was hit with the worst drought in over 40 years. Four consecutive rainy seasons failed, and crops shriveled. To make matters worse, conflict in the area intensified from the ongoing civil war. Maria and her family were forced to flee.
They moved to Bil-kheyr, an informal settlement on the edge of Mogadishu. Once there, the family struggled. Work was hard to find, and putting food on the table was a daily challenge. Then, Maria’s daughter, Barliin, gave birth to a baby boy named Mohamed. The delivery was long and painful. Traumatized, Barliin developed a postpartum mental illness. She couldn’t recognize her baby and stopped speaking entirely.
Barliin is not alone. Many women in Somalia face postpartum mental health conditions for a variety of reasons, one of them being the increased level of stress associated with food insecurity that 24% of the population faces. Postpartum conditions can cause extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that can affect the woman’s ability to care for herself or for others, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. It is essential for women to have proper support prior to and following the experience of giving birth, but unfortunately, stigma and limited access to mental health services often leave families without help. Maria took Barlijn to different hospitals, where doctors confirmed she was mentally unwell, but said there was little more they could do. With no other option, all the family could do was hope and pray for Barlijn to heal.
Meanwhile, Mohamed needed care. Maria did whatever she could to get formula milk, using all of her money and taking loans, but Mohamed wouldn’t take the bottle. He became weak, developed diarrhea and a cough, and began rapidly losing weight.
Maria rushed him to the Stabilization Center in Deynile Hospital, run by Action Against Hunger with funding from UK aid and UNICEF’s Better Lives program. Mohamed weighed just over 2 pounds when he arrived at the center. He was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, and staff began treating him immediately.
Maria at the stabilization center when Mohamed was malnourished.
While Mohamed was being treated, Action Against Hunger staff offered Maria counseling from the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) program. In the program, counselors often advise against bottle-feeding, especially in camps where clean water is limited. They promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and offer guidance when mixed feeding is needed. Maria thought it was hopeless, but the counselors told her something she never imagined possible: she could breastfeed again.
The IYCF program helps families see that relactation is possible. Through individual and group sessions, caregivers learn safe and effective feeding practices. “At times, we meet mothers or caregivers who say they have no milk,” said Safiya, an IYCF counselor at the Deynile Stabilization Center. “We give them psychosocial support, and we advise them to calm their minds and continue breastfeeding. Many of them succeed. When the cause is a medical issue, we connect them to the best care available.”
IYCF session at the stabilization area
Maria listened to the sessions, asked questions, and followed the guidance. With staff support, she drank lots of fluids, practiced skin-to-skin contact with Mohamed, and let him try to latch. Finally, it worked. Mohamed began regularly feeding at the breast. Every day, he grew stronger, and his cough and diarrhea stopped. According to national IMAM guidelines, he met all the criteria for discharge: medical complications resolved, exclusive breastfeeding re-established, steady weight gain, and a caregiver ready and confident to continue care.
After only eight days at the hospital, Mohamed had gained over four pounds and was ready to go home. Maria left the hospital smiling, holding Mohamed close. “I never thought I would breastfeed again,” she said. “But every drop I give my grandson feels like a blessing.”
Today, Mohamed is a healthy, growing baby with bright eyes and a strong sense of curiosity. His mother, Barliin, is also starting to recover, sometimes smiling or answering when called by name. There is still a long journey ahead, but hope has returned to the family. Maria continues to care for Mohamed and breastfeeds him every day with love.
Maria plays with her grandson at the stabilization center in Mogadishu
