Humanitarian organisations have been warning that 6.2 million Somalis are on the brink of famine, desperate for the support of an international relief operation that is still proving slow in its response. With the humanitarian response to Somalia’s food crisis lagging, communities have turned to social media to identify families in need of urgent help. Unable to wait for help from their own government or the international community as they face the prospect of a devastating famine, Somalis at home and abroad are turning to one another for support, using social media.
Combining 21st century social media with the age-old clan network – the bedrock of Somali society as well as its safety net – communities are using WhatsApp to sponsor hard-hit families and raise funds to buy them life-saving supplies.
Based on the formula that one family needs approximately $60 (£49) a month, members of the group decide how many families then can sponsor. Then they deposit the money into a bank account set up by Dahabshiil, the international funds transfer company created in 1970 by a Somali entrepreneur, and post a photo of the receipt on the group to prove that the money is there.
A committee of five people withdraws the money from the account and buys basics for the sponsored families – usually rice, powdered milk and water.
Prominent in the widening network are members of the Somali diaspora, who are spread all over the world. It is particularly sizeable in Canada. However, smaller clans with less expansive networks and fewer members in their diaspora are likely to face more of a struggle, and rely solely on aid agencies for support.