The Causes and Effects of Poverty in Somalia: A Case Study of Guriceel District, Galmudug State, Somalia

Abstract

This study focused on the causes and effects of poverty in Guriceel district, Galmudug state, Somalia. The aim of the study was to examine the causes and effects of poverty in Guriceel district, Galmudug state, Somalia. The study adopted a descriptive survey and targeted 500 people in Guriceel district. A sample of 126 respondents of the target population was considered by use of stratified purposive sampling technique. The primary data was collected through the use of closed-ended questionnaires and secondary data was obtained from literatures reviewed from the published documents by various scholars to supplement the primary data. The key findings of the study were that there are many causes of poverty in Guriceel district which they include: continuous civil war in Somalia is hindering economic activities of the people which is subjecting them into poverty, high level of corruption among civil servants, the existence of weak rule of law and poor governance leading to poor and ineffective service delivery in the district is causing of poverty in the district, high level of unemployment leading to low income generation by the residents in the district is causing poverty, poor access to affordable and quality health care in the district is causing poverty, high reproductive rate in the district is causing poverty in the district, dangerous climate change resulting into continuous drought is causing poverty in the district and lastly poor planning and distribution of social and economic services in the district is causing poverty in the district. And the main effects of poverty in Guriceel district entail: increase in the risk of people becoming infected with chronic illness, made people to live in dilapidated housing, increase of the death rate in the district, high risk of education underachievement for children from poor families, increase of mental health problems among poor people, high risk of education underachievement for children from poor families, increase of mental health problems among poor people, widening of gender inequality gap, increase in the rate of malnutrition among children from poor families who have got inadequate nutrition, reduction of life expectancy level among poor people and lastly poverty increase in crime rate like theft in Guriceel district. The study recommends that Federal Government of Somalia should provide enough and quality social services, establish more vocational training schools, create more jobs for the jobless youth, empower women, promote and practise of effective accountability and transparency in the public service to curb corruption, provide quality and affordable health services, formulate new policy on new on friendly youth-employment, reform the education curriculum and of more micro-finance institutions in all sub-districts in Somalia to provide loan to poor people.