The famine is the worst emergency to hit Somalia for a generation. The U.N. has appealed for $1 billion and has got $779 million so far.

But aid still doesn’t reach many of the starving. Islamist militias battling the weak U.N.-backed government have forbidden many aid agencies to operate in their territory, exacerbating the effects of a severe drought.

“So even after their parents have struggled through the mud, have made it past the militias and have staggered into the hospital, it is still too late for many,” said [Sirat] Amin [a nurse-nutritionist with the International Rescue Committee who has been monitoring Minhaj’s progress].

“I’m coping with it but sometimes it’s heartbreaking. People are suffering. Sometimes they die in front of you,” he said. “Sometimes you want to help but the numbers are just so high. There are just so many.”

But seeing children like Minhaj recover gives him the strength to go on. - AP (via)