Djibouti

Djibouti: Nurturing Childhood in the Heat of Hardship

Explore Djibouti:

Discover how children in this small Horn of Africa nation are growing up amid climate shocks, economic pressure, and refugee challenges — and how local communities are working to ensure they don’t fall through the cracks.

The Situation for Children in Djibouti

Djibouti is a small but strategically important country, surrounded by instability and shaped by climate extremes. Though relatively peaceful, it remains deeply vulnerable to drought, food insecurity, and regional displacement — all of which profoundly impact its children. These are the three most urgent challenges they face:

Climate-Driven Food Insecurity and Water Scarcity

Recurring droughts have led to widespread hunger and limited access to clean water, especially in rural and nomadic areas. Malnutrition is rising among children, and schools often lack functioning water sources.

Strain From Refugee Influx and Regional Instability

Djibouti hosts thousands of refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen. Many refugee children live in overcrowded camps or urban slums with poor access to education and healthcare.

Gaps in Early Childhood Education and School Retention

While school enrollment is improving, many children — especially girls and children with disabilities — struggle to stay in school due to poverty, distance, and lack of inclusive support.

Despite these challenges, Djibouti’s children remain full of hope, dreaming of education, health, and opportunities for a better tomorrow.

Key Contributor #1: Union Nationale des Femmes de Djibouti (UNFD)

Empowering Girls and Supporting Marginalized Children

For decades, UNFD has been advocating for women and girls in Djibouti — and now plays a vital role in child protection, education, and health. From girls’ school scholarships to mobile hygiene clinics, the organization supports children most at risk of being overlooked.

They also run awareness campaigns about early marriage, girls’ rights, and child nutrition, especially in rural and refugee settings. Volunteers help reconnect children with schools and give families the tools to keep them learning.

In communities where opportunity feels far away, UNFD brings it closer — one child at a time.

Key Contributor #2: Caritas Djibouti

Feeding, Teaching, and Caring for Refugee and Street Children

Operating in both urban centers and refugee camps, Caritas Djibouti provides food, clean water, and non-formal education to children who live on the streets or have fled war. Their drop-in centers offer basic health services, literacy classes, and psychosocial care.

Caritas also trains youth in trades like tailoring and mechanics, giving them a pathway to independence. For children displaced or abandoned, this is often their first consistent care.

They don’t just offer aid — they offer safety, stability, and second chances.

Key Event #1: School Feeding Initiative – Dikhil Region

Combating Hunger With Education-Focused Nutrition

In drought-affected areas like Dikhil, where hunger keeps many children out of school, UNFD and local farmers launched the School Feeding Initiative to keep classrooms full and stomachs nourished.

With support from international donors, schools began serving warm meals each day — often the only hot food children would receive. Attendance rates surged, and children stayed longer and concentrated better.

Teachers say the change is more than physical. “They’re smiling again. They’re learning again.”

Key Event #2: Street Child Outreach Campaign – Balbala District

Bringing Learning and Care to Children Living Outside the System

In 2023, Caritas Djibouti launched a month-long Street Child Outreach Campaign across Balbala, a dense and impoverished district of Djibouti City. Social workers and volunteers connected with children living without guardians or homes — many of them working in markets or sleeping in alleys.

The team distributed hygiene kits, provided health checkups, and invited children to join drop-in learning sessions. Some had never attended school at all.

For the first time, these children were given not just supplies, but support — and the invitation to imagine a different life.

Top Grassroot Nonprofits Across Djibouti