Türkiye Diyanet Foundation delivers Ramadan food aid to 8,250 Somali families amid deepening drought
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Turkish humanitarian organization has delivered food assistance to 8,250 families across drought-affected parts of Somalia during Ramadan, Turkish officials said Friday, as prolonged dry conditions continue to strain access to food and water in the Horn of Africa nation.
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Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) said it distributed aid to families in seven states and 13 regions under its Ramadan relief program, funded by donations from charitable contributors. The effort targeted communities facing steep economic hardship after years of below-average rainfall and repeated climate shocks.
Each family received a single food parcel designed to cover essential needs through the fasting month. According to TDV, the total distribution is expected to benefit about 80,000 people, based on an average household size of 10.
The packages contained staple goods intended to prepare basic meals during iftar, the daily fast-breaking at sunset. Items included:
- Flour and rice
- Pasta
- Sugar
- Cooking oil
- Basic legumes
Teams of foundation staff and volunteers led the operation in urban neighborhoods and displacement sites, including camps in the capital. Assistance events were held at Hindere camp in Mogadishu’s Daynile district and at Bilhayr camp in the Garapaley area, where officials met families following the deliveries.
“Due to the drought, there have been serious problems in access to food and water over the past two years,” Omer Faruk Arslan, religious services counselor at the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu, told Anadolu. “With the support of our donors, we are delivering food packages to those in need in 13 regions.”
Arslan described the campaign as both a humanitarian lifeline and a symbol of deepening ties between Somalia and Türkiye, thanking donors whose contributions financed procurement, transport and last-mile distribution during one of the most demanding periods of the year for low-income households.
Somalia’s drought has compounded the pressures of high food prices and displacement, leaving many families reliant on seasonal aid to weather Ramadan and the lean months that follow. Local officials and aid workers say such distributions help stabilize household food consumption and reduce negative coping measures, particularly among families living in camps on the outskirts of Mogadishu and in hard-hit regional districts.
TDV said it continues to provide Ramadan food assistance to vulnerable communities in multiple countries, aligning deliveries with local needs and working alongside partners to reach remote locations. In Somalia, the foundation’s Ramadan program complements ongoing charitable efforts by Turkish organizations and diaspora groups active in health, education and emergency relief.
Photo: Somali families prepare for iftar at a distribution organized by Türkiye Diyanet Foundation in Mogadishu. (Halil Ibrahim Sancar)
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
