Somalia drought forces children out of school.
A third of children in Somalia’s drought-affected areas are at risk of dropping out of school, the UN says, as a shortage of food and water has left more than 6.2 million people needing urgent help.
The drought is threatening the lives of millions and almost three million are going hungry.
Three million children in the country are missing school and more than 100,000 could join them, according to the UN.
On Tuesday, Somalia’s newly-elected President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared a "national disaster" due to the drought.
The desperate search for water and food proving particularly difficult for children.
"I’d love to go back to school but I’ve been forced to leave because I’m the eldest child in my family and I need to work at home," Sadia Omar, a former student, told Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera’s Fahmida Miller, reporting from Dollow in southern Somalia, said severe drought was forcing families to migrate in search of help.
READ MORE: 40 percent of Somalis don’t have enough food to eat, says UN On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Somalia was at risk of its third famine in 25 years.
The drought has led to a spread of acute watery diarrhoea, cholera and measles and nearly 5.5 million people are at risk of contracting waterborne diseases.