Somali refugees abandon babies at Dadaab camp

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Some parents fleeing conflict and famine in Somalia are abandoning their babies after arriving at the vast refugee complex at Dadaab, Kenya, a charity has said .

Save the Children said it had placed record numbers of unaccompanied children with foster families in recent months, including a small number of babies abandoned by their families after arriving at the camps.

Staff say it is unclear why the babies were left, but they believe it is probably a result of the desperation felt by parents who have often walked for weeks without food, water or shelter.

Nasib, a two-month old infant, was found on a roadside by a woman who took him to a police station. The woman was asked by police to care for the child while they investigated the case. Another baby, Naifin, was left in the home of a registered refugee by his mother who had just arrived from Somalia.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/14/somalia-refugees-abandon-babies-dadaab

[dipsydoodle]

1. Anything to help save their lives I guess.

How sad though.

[McCamy Taylor]

2. If my baby was dying, I would try to get it a good home even if it meant I would never see her again

[NJCher]

3. what a horrible choice

Can any of us imagine what it must be like to give up a child? It has to be the darkest moment of one's life. And then to face the rest of one's days wondering what happened to that child.

I couldn't bear it.



Cher

[tawadi]

4. The numbers are alarming

"The UN office for humanitarian affairs (OCHA) has warned that the famine is likely to get worse in the coming weeks. The number of acutely malnourished children in Somalia, currently standing at 390,000, could double within the next year..."

[cutlassmama]

5. this is beyond sad.

[Harmony Blue]

6. The world needs to mobilize to help during this crisis

...this is so depressing. :(

[Marrah_G]

7. I can't imagine being in those mother's shoes.