Efforts underway to improve access to safe water in Somalia

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is maintaining its efforts to improve access to safe water in Somalia. According to a press release issued by the ICRC, the committee provided support for a chlorination campaign carried out in all Somali Red Crescent clinics to stem the spread of acute waterborne disease. A million chlorine tablets were distributed to 17 clinics and emergency water filters to 39 clinics in order to ensure that water was safe. The ICRC is maintaining its efforts to improve access to safe water by re-drilling bore holes and by upgrading hand-dug wells, rainwater catchments and other sources of water. It completed 11 projects in July and August providing water for more than 25,000 Somalis. Over 100,000 people benefit from ICRC-supported health care In July and August, the ICRC provided several tons of surgical and other medical supplies for two hospitals in Mogadishu as well as hospitals in north of the country for treatment of war-wounded patients. Meanwhile, the ICRC continues to provide support for 39 Somali Red Crescent health-care facilities in the southern and central parts of the country to ensure that the population has access to essential health care and to good-quality medicines. In July and August, around 20,000 children were vaccinated against polio, measles, diphtheria and tetanus in these Red Crescent facilities. The ICRC also helps family members separated by the conflict in Somalia stay in touch with each other. Since the crisis began to worsen, hundreds of people have been crossing the border into Kenya every day to take refuge in the Dadaab camps. Together with the Kenya Red Cross Society, the ICRC gives newly arrived refugees the opportunity to contact their relatives left behind. Since mid-August, over 7,200 people, including almost 800 minors, have taken advantage of this service.