Health awareness saves lives in Somalia's Diinsoor

Written by Ahmed Abdi (New Ways Organization) and Jane Kiiru (OCHA) 

Fadumo Orey is a woman on a life-saving mission, raising awareness one day at a time. She is a health mobilizer in Diinsoor District, in Somalia’s Bay Region.

In a district affected by drought, displacement, and limited access to health services, her work has become a critical part of daily life. Employed by a non-governmental organization, New Ways Organization, Fadumo, is part of a project funded by the OCHA-managed Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF).

She plays a key role in raising awareness and helping families access essential care.

“Awareness is the first step of the journey to healing,” said Fadumo.

There is a good reason for this.

Many communities in Diinsoor live far from health facilities, and preventable illnesses such as pneumonia, malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition remain common, especially among children and pregnant women. Limited awareness of early warning signs often means families delay seeking care, increasing related risks.  

SHF’s project implemented by New Ways Organization, employs eight mobilizers, who work in Diinsoor, Bay region. The health project aims to have reached 7,500 households by August of 2026. 

Timely action 

Through regular visits to displacement sites and host communities, Fadumo provides practical health information to help families recognize illness early and seek timely treatment. 

“I tell the mothers in my village that a clinic is only a building until you have the knowledge to walk through its doors,” she said.  

During her outreach, she teaches caregivers how to identify danger signs such as fever, rapid breathing, and weakness in children. She also shows families how to use colour-coded nutrition tapes to monitor children’s nutritional status and seek support before conditions worsen. This early detection helps prevent severe malnutrition and improves recovery outcomes. 

Fadumo also promotes safe motherhood by encouraging pregnant women to attend antenatal care and delivery at health facilities. Many women face barriers such as distance, lack of information, and reliance on traditional practices. Through household visits and community discussions, she shares information on the importance of skilled care and helps women understand when to seek medical attention. 

Building trust 

Her work focuses on building trust and addressing misconceptions about modern healthcare – through listening to families and engaging in open dialogue to help increase acceptance of health services. 

“A healthy community is not one that just waits for a doctor to arrive; it is a community that knows how to protect its children every single morning at home,” said Fadumo. 

Health workers in Diinsoor report improvements in care-seeking behavior because of community outreach, “The healthcare centre once felt out of reach, but Fadumo bridged that gap through her dedicated outreach engagement expertise, ensuring our families finally access the professional care we deserve,” said Amina Hussein. These changes are helping reduce severe illness and improving child health outcomes. 

For Fadumo, her work is also personal: she is a mother, committed to helping protect children. 

“When we share knowledge, we give each other the strength to survive. My dream is that no mother in Diinsoor feels helpless because she does not know how to ask for help,” she said. 

The impact 

Feysal Abdow who lives in a nearby internal displacement camp where Fadumo does her routine awareness work, underscored the importance of community-based outreach in improving access to life-saving services in crisis-affected areas:

"Before the health mobilizers started visiting our village, many of us relied on rumors or traditional practices that weren’t always safe and reliable. Now, we have a trusted neighbour who brings the clinic to our houses. Fadumo doesn’t just give us medicine; she offers us the knowledge to prevent illness before it starts."