April 29, 2025
Two new health clinics opened in hard-to-reach Jubaland as Zamzam health services benefit over 210,000 Somalis
Zamzam Foundation opened two new health clinics in hard-to-reach areas of Jubaland state last year, while providing health services to over 210,000 Somalis across the country.
Zamzam’s extensive health programme has been captured in information provided to help compile the organisation’s annual report for 2024. The full report will be published in June 2025, but Zamzam UK is able to share the health statistics in advance.
“The new clinics we opened last year are in the southern districts of Jamame and Barsanguuni, in Lower Juba and Gedo respectively,” says Amina Abdinoor Ahmed, Zamzam’s Head of Health and Nutrition. “Both are in hard-to-reach areas that were previously lacking the health services people need as they struggle to survive in the face of conflict, drought, and diseases like cholera and malaria.
“Our two new facilities have increased our primary healthcare centres across the country from five to seven. Each centre assesses people’s needs through outpatient appointments and health screening, provides priority treatment for the most vulnerable, and vaccinates young children and pregnant women against deadly diseases.
“These clinics also provide nutritional therapy for malnourished children, help pregnant women to give birth safely, contribute to the raising of health awareness through public education, and offer psychosocial services – counselling and support for people traumatised by conflict and the health challenges they face.”
The new facilities mean Zamzam Foundation now has a network of 28 health clinics across Somalia. Alongside the organisation’s seven primary healthcare centres are five mobile clinics for outreach, treatment and community education in displaced people’s camps and remote rural areas, and 16 specialist clinics screening for and treating tuberculosis – one of the country’s biggest killers.
Zamzam’s health programmes served 210,959 people in 2024, delivering a wide range of services. Over 95,000 outpatient appointments took place in Zamzam clinics, showing the high demand for accessible healthcare. Zamzam facilities provide vital support in areas where health systems remain fragile.
Maternal and child health are Zamzam’s top priority in a country where 1 in 20 women dies in childbirth or from complications of pregnancy, and where over 1.5 million children are acutely malnourished.
In 2024, 31,497 women received prenatal, postnatal and delivery services through Zamzam, with 3,777 births in Zamzam facilities. Additionally, 18,600 mothers received practical assistance through mother-to-mother support groups and educational advice on breastfeeding and infant nutrition.
The fight against malnutrition is a constant focus for Zamzam’s health teams as extreme poverty, drought and conflict take their toll. A total of 28,201 women and children were screened for malnutrition in 2024, and those worst affected were given medical treatment and nutrition support.
“Nutrition is critical in preventive healthcare,” explains Amina Abdinoor Ahmed, who specialised in nutrition during her own university studies in Sudan. “That is why health and nutrition go hand in hand in Zamzam’s approach, reflected in the name of my department.
“But we also need to take an integrated approach across all our programmes, not just in the health and nutrition department, and that is what we are doing. We know nutrition and good health are not only about health services but also about improving water supplies and sanitation, improving food security and livelihoods to help people feed their families well, and improving public health awareness through education.”
The immunisation programmes delivered through Zamzam clinics ensured that 13,646 children received full vaccine coverage in 2024 – an important contribution to preventing disease and improving survival rates – while Zamzam surgeons performed over 2,500 sight-saving cataract operations.
Each new Zamzam health facility represents an investment in protecting health, saving lives, and strengthening access to health services for the most vulnerable. Supporters in the UK can donate to support this vital work through the Zamzam UK website, helping to bring healing and hope to communities across Somalia.
