Concern Worldwide US and GiveWell Partner to Sustain Emergency Nutrition Programs in Somalia Amid Global Aid Cuts
Concern Worldwide US announced a new project today to sustain emergency health and nutrition programs in Somalia where critical funding cuts have forced multiple facilities to close or reduce services. The funding, made possible through GiveWell and Coefficient Giving, will help ensure continued delivery of life-saving aid, avert further closures, and allow contingency planning in the face of disrupted therapeutic supply pipelines.
“We are deeply grateful to GiveWell and Coefficient Giving for supporting our work to meet the urgent health and nutrition needs of families in Somalia,” said Colleen Kelly, CEO of Concern Worldwide US. “As millions face crisis-level food insecurity and children go without the care they need to survive, this funding couldn’t come at a more vital moment. It means clinics can stay open — and lives can be saved.”
Tackling malnutrition has been at the heart of Concern Worldwide US’s health programs in Somalia for decades. In 2024 alone, Concern provided care through 28 static and mobile facilities, treating over 63,000 children under the age of five for malnutrition. Beyond treatment, Concern addresses the underlying causes of malnutrition through community-based support groups, including Mother-to-Mother and Father-to-Father networks, which create safe spaces for caregivers to discuss nutrition, feeding practices, and positive health behaviors.
Recommended by GiveWell and funded by Coefficient Giving, this grant will enable Concern to stabilize and expand these life-saving services, keeping facilities open, supporting frontline staff, and strengthening community and health system capacity to reach the most vulnerable populations as global aid cuts have reduced the organization’s reach to less than half of its planned caseload — leaving many children facing malnutrition, pregnant women, and those in need of vaccinations at immediate and increased risk.
“Through our research, we aim to save and improve lives as much as possible with the resources we have,” said GiveWell's co-founder and CEO Elie Hassenfeld. “We think this program is a cost-effective way to provide food and health care during this critical moment.”
Notes to the Editor:
The 18-month project will reach over 168,000 people through a combination of fixed and mobile health services, including 150,000 primary health care consultations, 90,000 malnutrition screenings,15,000 treatments for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children, and counseling for families on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and other key health topics.
About GiveWell
GiveWell is an independent, nonprofit research organization dedicated to finding and funding outstanding opportunities in global health and development. Trusted annually by tens of thousands of donors, GiveWell searches for highly cost-effective programs that save or improve lives the most. Over the past 18 years, GiveWell has helped guide more than 150,000 donors and $2.6 billion to most promising programs its research has identified.
About Coefficient Giving
Coefficient Giving is a philanthropic funder and advisor. To help others as much as it can, Coefficient works with a range of donors who share its commitment to cost-effective, high-impact giving.
About Concern Worldwide
With nearly 60 years of delivering life-saving health and nutrition programs, Concern Worldwide is a global leader in fighting hunger and malnutrition. Concern specializes in delivering integrated, community-centered programs that combine nutrition and health services with agriculture, education, livelihoods, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Its proven approaches, including the globally recognized Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), have reached millions of vulnerable people worldwide. Last year alone, Concern reached 5 million people across 16 countries.
