Halima Hussan with her son, Mohammed, at a refugee camp in Dadaab. Halima Hussan with her son, Mohammed, at a refugee camp in Dadaab. Photo: Jacky Ghossein
WITH the prospect of a region-wide famine in the Horn of Africa, aid at the world's biggest refugee camp is not yet reaching some of the most vulnerable asylum seekers.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres has warned of a ''humanitarian crisis'' on the outskirts of Dadaab camp in eastern Kenya, with claims that some arrivals are waiting 40 days before being officially registered by UNHCR and receiving a card entitling them to regular food distributions.
The Age identified at least 10 children suffering acute malnutrition in just one day on the outskirts of the camp.
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To verify the children's nutritional status we took body measurements. None of the malnourished children were receiving medical attention and some of their families had not eaten for three days. Suldan Borow Aden lost her two-year-old son, Osman, the day The Age visited. ''It is so painful,'' she said. ''But now I am very sick and I fear that I am going to die too.''
Her family arrived at Dadaab two months ago but they are still sheltering in a humpy made from cardboard because they have not yet been issued with any roof plastic or a tent.
''Today has been a good day because we have only buried one child,'' said local community leader Hussain Omar Ali. ''Some days we have buried five.''
The Age met several families with sick, malnourished children who seemed unaware of medical services in the camp.
Ambiya Ahmed's daughter-in-law died eight days ago, leaving her to look after two grandchildren. The youngest, 8-month-old Muhammad Noor, fell ill with a chest infection after his mother's death and has not eaten since.
There was a health post not far from Ambiya's hut, but she said she had never ''seen medicines'' or been to a hospital and didn't know how to access help.
Many organisations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Program, are working in Dadaab, but the high rates of malnutrition and child deaths show that aid delivery is lagging behind need.
Most refugees at Dadaab have walked from Somalia. About 10,000 people are arriving each week and the population of the camp is approaching 400,000. About 30,000 are estimated to have already erected makeshift dwellings outside the camp boundaries and the number is growing each day.
Save the Children's Dadaab field manager Robert Orina said agencies are operating under extreme pressure without the staff or funds to deal with such an influx of people.
''It's not fair that so many come here simply seeking food, water and medicine only to arrive, sit down and watch their children die,'' he said.
UN agencies requested $US1.6 billion ($1.5 billion) to fund relief efforts in the Horn of Africa but have only received about half that amount.
How to help
Save the Children savethechildren.org.au; 1800 760 011
Oxfam oxfam.org.au; 1800 088 110
Plan Australia plan.org.au; 13 75 26
CARE Australia care.org.au; 1800 020 046
UNHCR unrefugees.org.au; 1300 361 288
Act for Peace, National Council of Churches actforpeace.org.au; 1800 025 101
Medecins Sans Frontieres msf.org.au; 1300 13 60 61
UNICEF Unicef.org.au; 1300 884 233
Matt Wade and photographer Jacky Ghossein were supported by Save the Children Australia to report from Dadaab.