Somali Knowledge Attitude Practices Study (KAPS) - EthnoMed

Table 2: Summary of Types of Food by Age in South and Central Somalia
Child’s Age Type of Food
0-6 Months B/Milk, pre-lacteal feeds, Fluid-based diet, mainly milk & water; Soft Foods
- porridge, potatoes, biscuits.
6-12 Months B/Milk, Milk, Soft food continues, Integration of child into family diet, solid
snacks (Canjero) or soft drinks bought
12-24 Months Breast milk (if mother not pregnant)
Milk, family diet, (cereal-based ‘soor’ or rice/pasta with sauce; boiled
maize/sorghum grains with oil & sugar). Meat consumption is rare for
children
After 24 Months Children eat from the family pot, 3 times a day and breastfeeding. In
between the main meal, the children may be given a cup of milk, porridge or
tea to drink. Breast feeding has stopped for most children in all livelihood
zones except for the pastoralists who breastfeed longer than 24 months.
There are no snacks in between the main meals because children are
considered grown-up.
Foods Prohibited for Children:
Among the pastoralists of Gedo and Bakool, it was found that animal organs (liver, kidney, and
heart) are not consumed by children. It is believed that children are unable to digest these foods,
causing a delay in the development of verbal or speech skills in children. This is then likely to
lead to deafness (Dhagol) in children if they are fed on these foods. The same belief for
consumption of organ meat by children is also held by the urban communities in most parts of
Southern Somalia.
The agro-pastoralists of Gedo believe that consumption of sorghum, cow’s milk and mutton cause
diarrhoea during hot season, hence children are not allowed to eat them during such periods. In
the riverine, children are not allowed to eat boiled maize or sorghum until they are three years
old. It is believed that their digestive system is not yet ready for these foods.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Practices
The study found that water for domestic use and for animals is obtained from various sources
among which are: wells (Muqsid), earth dams, berkards, bore holes, shallow unprotected wells,
rivers Shabelle and Juba, earth pans and ponds. Although water from wells, bore holes and
berkards is often treated at the source by chlorination, the water safety still remains a major
concern to most communities in all livelihood zones. Study findings also revealed that most
households do not treat the water for drinking at home even if it is collected from the unprotected
sources or river. The riverine communities, for instance get much of their water from the rivers
Shabelle and Juba as well as unprotected wells, yet most respondents in this study reported that
people hardly think of treating water for domestic use. A few households from urban areas were
however reported to be treating their drinking water at home. Use of bottled water for feeding
infants was also reported among some urban women in attempts to avoid feeding children with
contaminated water.
Safe disposal of human faecal matter was reportedly poor in almost all livelihood zones. Among
the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, about 50% of the households do not have pit latrines.
The children’s faecal matter is disposed off in the bush or open space. According to respondents
in the study, during rainy season, much of the water sources get contaminated, causing diarrhoea,
dysentery and intestinal worms. The respondents further confirmed that unprotected water
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