Yeed, Somalia — June 2, 2026 — For Abshiro Abdullahi Bare, a mother of nine, a simple phone notification marked the turning point between hunger and hope. When her mobile lit up with a message confirming a $100 cash transfer from Action Against Hunger, it was the first step toward rebuilding her family’s life after months of hardship.
Before displacement, Abshiro and her husband Hassan Abdi lived in Deeh village, Garasweyne district, farming 1.3 acres and raising 52 goats. Successive droughts destroyed their livelihood, forcing them to walk two days to a displacement camp in Yeed. With Hassan earning barely $3 a day hauling firewood, the family often went without food.
Through the Somalia Cash Consortium, funded by EU Humanitarian Aid, Action Against Hunger identified Abshiro’s household as highly vulnerable — recent displacement, loss of assets, and severe food insecurity. The emergency cash assistance provided three monthly transfers of $100, enabling the family to buy food, water, medicine, and fodder for their remaining goats.
Within weeks, the family’s meals increased from one to three per day. Their youngest child, treated for acute malnutrition at the Yeed Outpatient Therapeutic Program, recovered from a MUAC of 10.9 cm to 11.9 cm, a measurable sign of improved nutrition.
Abshiro saved part of each transfer, demonstrating resilience and foresight. Across Yeed, families receiving cash assistance stabilized food consumption and re‑engaged with local markets. Village elder Adan Mohamed observed, “The cash gave people the ability to buy food, pay for water, and keep their animals alive. When a family can do those three things, they start to recover.”
Now, with rains returning to Garasweyne, Hassan has gone back to prepare their land for cultivation. The family’s recovery is modest but real — proof that multipurpose cash assistance can sustain families through crisis and give them the chance to rebuild.
“This cash support did not just save my family,” Abshiro said. “It gave us life again when everything had been lost.”
