THE CHALENGE
In East Africa, climate change is creating urgent challenges. Severe droughts, floods, and unpredictable weather are displacing communities, forcing people to migrate in search of safety and resources. This movement leads to overcrowded urban areas, where limited sanitation and healthcare make it easy for infectious diseases to spread. Vulnerable groups, especially children, face heightened health risks. HAHDO is dedicated to addressing these challenges in East Africa by providing healthcare, supporting displaced communities, and working towards a safer, more resilient future
Climate Migration: A Growing Crisis
"As climate change intensifies, millions are forced to leave their homes, seeking safety from rising temperatures, droughts, and extreme weather events. This movement often leads people from rural areas to urban centers—or even across borders—putting immense pressure on resources and creating new health risks."
Ahmed’s Story: A Journey of Survival and Hope
Ahmed, like so many others, was forced to leave his village in search of a better life. After prolonged drought destroyed his family’s farmland, he migrated to Burco, a city in Somalia, hoping for stability. Without formal education or a trade skill, Ahmed now sells fruit in the city market. Every day, he struggles to earn enough to survive, wondering if migrating to Europe might offer a better future.
Ahmed’s story is not unique. He is one of millions facing a tough choice: adapt to life in urban areas with limited opportunities, or risk the perilous journey across borders in search of a better life. Climate migration has become a growing crisis, displacing countless people who now face the compounded risks of poverty, unemployment, and health threats.
Outbreaks & Pandemics
The movement of large populations due to climate stress can accelerate the spread of infectious diseases. Overcrowded conditions, limited sanitation, and poor healthcare infrastructure create a breeding ground for outbreaks—posing a risk not only locally but globally.
The Impact on Major Cities
As waves of displaced people move toward major cities, these urban centers face recurrent disease outbreaks that strain already overburdened healthcare systems. Overcrowded living conditions, particularly in informal settlements, make it nearly impossible to contain the spread of diseases like cholera, tuberculosis, and respiratory infections. This influx also brings additional health risks, as many displaced individuals have limited access to vaccines and essential healthcare.
Children: The Most Vulnerable
Children are particularly vulnerable, with weakened immune systems that make them more susceptible to infection. Unvaccinated children, arriving with displaced families, add to the risk, increasing the potential for outbreaks to affect schools and other communal areas. These outbreaks endanger all children in the community, especially when healthcare resources are stretched thin, and preventative measures are difficult to implement.
20 million
PEOPLE DISPLACED ANNUALLY DUE TO CLIMATE-RELATED EVENTS
35%
INCREASE IN DISEASE OUTBREAKS
21 million
PEOPLE IN EAST AFRICA AT RISK: AS CLIMATE CHANGE INTENSIFIES, OVERCROWDED CONDITIONS IN EAST AFRICAN REGIONS
60%
OVER 60% OF CLIMATE MIGRANTS LACK BASIC HEALTHCARE ACCESS:
CLIMATE
TEMPERATURES
Extreme temperatures up to 40°C in summer and prolonged droughts drive people from rural areas to cities, increasing migration pressures.
DISEASE OUTBREAKS
Overcrowded conditions and lack of healthcare fuel outbreaks of malaria, cholera, and respiratory infections, especially among unvaccinated children.
RAINFALL
Severe droughts reduce access to clean water, leading to overcrowded camps with limited sanitation and higher risk of waterborne diseases