At the frontline of care fighting malnutrition in Baidoa

At Baidoa District Hospital, Fadumo Abukar starts her day early at the outpatient therapeutic programme (OTP), where mothers bring children weakened by hunger and illness. For the past ten years, Fadumo has worked as a nutrition worker, supporting children with acute malnutrition and guiding families through treatment and recovery. As a mother of eight herself, she understands the challenges many women face when they walk through the hospital doors.

Each day, Fadumo screens and supports between 50 to 100 children. She checks for signs of malnutrition, helps with admissions for treatment, and provides counselling on infant and young child feeding, complementary feeding, and care for sick or low-birth-weight children. Her work combines hands-on care with close follow-up to help children continue treatment at home. 

UNICEF Somalia Seated among a group of mothers, Fadumo facilitates an Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) session, creating a safe space for learning, sharing, and supporting children’s nutrition in the community.

One of the mothers Fadumo supports is Mama Nimco Hassan Ali, a 37-year-old mother of 12 living in the Isha neighborhood of Baidoa. Displaced from her home in Goof-Gaduud, Bay Region, Mama Nimco raises her children alone after losing her husband and carrying the responsibility of providing for her large family on her own. Each day is a balancing act, caring for six daughters and six sons, while making sure they eat, attend school, and stay healthy.

Recently, she noticed that her twin boys, Hasan and Husein, were losing weight and becoming weak. Concerned for their health, she brought them to the OTP, determined to do what she could to help them recover. “Being a single mother is not easy, but I cannot give up on my children,” Mama Nimco says. “I want them to grow up healthy, even if it means facing these challenges alone.”

UNICEF Somalia Mama Nimco Hassan Ali, a 37-year-old mother of 12 from Baidoa, receives ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for one of her twin sons, Hassan, at a the treatment facility.

The twins were enrolled into the programme using OGOW, the digital nutrition registry that tracks children from admission to recovery. Through the Last Mile Supply Monitoring (LMSM) system, nutrition teams also monitor the availability of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), helping ensure children like Hasan and Hussein receive uninterrupted treatment.

“These digital tools help us follow each child closely and make sure supplies are available when families return,” Fadumo explains. “It helps build trust with mothers who depend on these services.”

With regular follow-up and counselling, Mama Nimco has seen small but steady improvements in her children. “The staff showed me some practical ways to feed them,” she says. “They are slowly gaining weight, and I try to do what I can at home with the food we have.”

UNICEF Somalia By using digital tools, health workers can closely monitor each child and ensure timely availability of supplies, strengthening continuity of care for families.

Malnutrition treatment services at Baidoa District Hospital are supported by UNICEF and partners, with funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). This support strengthens frontline services, improves supply management, and expands the use of digital systems that make nutrition programmes more reliable for families.

For Fadumo, the impact of this support is reflected in mothers like Mama Nimco.

 “When a child starts to recover and a mother feels supported, it shows that the system is working,” she says.