Somalia's Children

Education and children's advocate Clay Aiken recently returned from a Unicef mission to Somalia to observe and report on the status of children in this "forgotten" country, "one of the poorest and most volatile countries in the world."

He reports on his mission in the UnicefUSA field notes blog. He writes:

One of the most incredible things I learned on my trip is that there are only 350 doctors left in the entire country, mostly because of the violence and insecurity. And many of these doctors are older than the average life expectancy in Somalia, which is only 45. I can't help but wonder, what is going to happen in a couple of years when there are no more doctors? What will happen to the children who struggle to survive?

Read more on how Unicef is helping in that struggle to survive: UNICEF Seeks Emergency Support for Somalia's Undernourished Children.

















Clay Aiken in Somalia. Photo by Denise Shepherd-Johnson, UnicefUSA