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STORIES OF HOPE

From homelessness to hope 

How you helped protect Sidra’s children in crisis

Your support delivered more than basic needs to Sidra—you helped give her family a future.   

A time when she herded her healthy flocks of sheep and camels through the plains of Somaliland before enjoying a joyful dinner with her family—a quiet sense of pride filling her chest at providing a safe home and happy childhood for her children.  

Then a devastating drought plunged her family into crisis. 

“It changed everything,” Sidra said. “Our animals died. They disappeared until there was nothing left.”  

Families in Somaliland rely on livestock for survival, but each waterless day ends with more livestock joining the 3.5 million that have already died in the drought. 

With no income, no food and no hope, Sidra and her children were forced to leave their home to search for a better life. She settled in an internally displaced persons camp where she fashioned a makeshift shelter. The drought showed no signs of ending, and with her former livelihood reduced to dust, Sidra knew the camp’s temporary shelter had become her family’s permanent home. 

But she was desperate for something sturdier than fabric walls that left her children vulnerable to dangerous weather, violence or exploitation. She spent sleepless nights listening for threats and longing for a way to protect her children—and your compassion answered her cry for help. 

 Generous partners helped SOS Children’s Villages build Sidra and her children a safe home that delivered immediate safety and protection—and a place for Sidra’s children to sleep peacefully and once again enjoy a family meal. 

“I could close my eyes at night knowing my children were protected,” Sidra said, her voice thick with emotion. “The shelter—it gave us more than a roof. It gave us peace.”  

And your support delivered more than basic needs—you helped give her family a future.  

SOS staff members helped build a hydroponic greenhouse and taught those living in IDP camps in Somalia climate-smart farming methods so they can harvest their own food. And, through SOS’ child-friendly spaces, Sidra’s children and others in the displacement camp attend school where they unlock their full potential with education.  

“They have the chance to learn, grow and imagine a future that is different,” Sidra said. “To everyone who has supported us, thank you. Your generosity helped us rise from nothing.”  

Although Sidra’s family is safe, she looks to other families in the camp who still need emergency relief. 

“The need is great—especially for housing and water,” she said. “I’m grateful for what we’ve received, but I ask donors and supporters: Please don’t stop here. There are so many others who still need your help.”  

Thank you for delivering the safe home Sidra desperately needed to protect her children.  

Today, when you give to the Children in Crisis Fund, you can deliver the help and hope a child needs to survive and build a brighter future—no matter the state of the world around them. 

Give to the Children in Crisis Fund

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