Too weak to eat - The story of one little boy, and his mother.

Nuurto is 24 years old and lives in Mogadishu, Somalia. She has four children: three girls and a baby boy, Ali, who is five months old.

When Ali fell ill, Nuurto first took him to a local clinic where her two-year-old daughter was already being treated. But Ali was not improving, the diarrhoea was persisting.

In 2026, more than 1.8 million children in Somalia are expected to suffer acute malnutrition. Common diseases, such as diarrhoea, are an aggravating factor: When children are sick, they stop eating.

Ali was referred to the Banadir Hospital Stabilisation Centre, run by the Ministry of Health and Concern Worldwide. Funding for the Stabilisation Centre is from UNICEF and Coefficient Giving (recommended by GiveWell).

Upon arrival, Nuurto was told her son was malnourished.

Too weak to eat, Ali was administered vitamins intravenously. And Nuurto was cared for also; “I got breakfast, lunch, and rice and beans at night.”

She also received guidance regarding child nutrition: “We were taught about the causes of malnutrition, the importance of vegetables, and breastfeeding. I learned that after six months, he can start on porridge, and fruits like mangos and bananas.”

But for a family living in extreme poverty, knowledge alone is not enough. Nuurto needed money. 

As conditions of extreme poverty persist outside the facility gates, health workers often see children returning, again malnourished. As a member of the Somali Cash Consortium (SCC), funded by the European Union, Concern provides cash to parents, with no strings attached. 

In 2025, the European Union, through Concern and the SCC, sent the equivalent of €10.8 million to over 32,000 Somali households, benefitting nearly 200,000 people.

“The first time I got 100 Dollars, I was so happy. I bought milk and food for my other children.”

The cash changed how she shops. During Ramadan, food prices rise. Before, she bought what she needed day by day. Now, with enough money in hand, she buys in bulk. It saves her time, money, and the exhausting daily trips to the shop.

Ali started to improve. The diarrhoea stopped, and he moved on to therapeutic milk. “I have seen a lot of changes in my baby.” 

Now she is thinking ahead. Eid is approaching, and she wants to buy her children new clothes. She wants to pay the transport fare for her mother to come and visit.

In the longer term, she has bigger dreams.

“In the future, I want to open a shop and sell food for the less fortunate. I want my children to attend school.”