A 34-year-old mother of five, Khadija lives in Kelafo district, an area known for extreme climate shocks. Long dry seasons often leave families without food or income, while flash floods from the Shebelle River periodically sweep away homes, farmland and livelihoods. In 2024 alone, flooding affected more than 112,000 people across Kelafo and neighboring districts, deepening the vulnerability of already struggling households. For Khadija, these environmental pressures compounded an already fragile family situation.
When poverty threatens to tear families apart
As a full-time caregiver, Khadija had no independent income. Her husband relied on irregular daily labor, earning just enough to buy food on some days. Even then, meals were often skipped. Providing basic school materials for their children, such as notebooks, uniforms, and pens, was a constant struggle. Healthcare was often postponed, and during dry seasons, food insecurity became a permanent concern in the household.
“I felt helpless,” Khadija recalls. “No matter how hard we tried, it was never enough.”
The strain took an emotional toll. Overwhelmed by worry and exhaustion, Khadija began to withdraw, fearing what might happen if she could no longer provide even the bare minimum for her children. The thought she tried hardest to push away kept returning: Would my children be better off separated from me?
Her fear reflects a reality faced by millions of families worldwide. Children are often separated from their families as a result of overlapping pressures. Poverty and climate shocks place immense strain on households, compounded by weak social protection, limited family support services, and gaps in positive parenting knowledge.
This is a key finding of SOS Children’s Villages’ Global Report on Children’s Care and Protection 2024, which highlights how strengthening families is one of the most effective ways to protect children and ensure they grow up in safe, caring environments.
A turning point: support before separation
Khadija’s story took a different path when her family was identified and referred to SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia’s Family and Community Empowerment Project (FCEP) in Kelafo. Rather than intervening only after families have broken down, the project focuses on prevention when keeping children with their families is in their best interest. By identifying and addressing the root causes of vulnerability early on, SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia works closely with local communities to strengthen livelihoods, improve food security and health, and build parenting capacity. The initiative aims to support 300 caregivers and nearly 2,000 children directly, while reaching nearly 38,000 additional caregivers and children through broader community-based activities across the district.
For Khadija, this early support changed everything. After joining the project, she received training in home gardening, nutrition, and basic agricultural practices. With seeds, simple tools, and regular guidance from community volunteers and agricultural experts, she established a small vegetable garden beside her home.
Growing food, gaining stability
The garden quickly became a lifeline. Khadija now grows papaya, banana, onion, pumpkin, tomato, chili pepper and sweet potato nutrient-rich crops selected for their suitability to the local climate and their importance in daily diets. With efficient water-use practices introduced through the project, she manages the garden year-round; staggering planting and harvesting fresh produce is available throughout the month. Vegetables that once had to be bought, if money allowed, are now harvested just steps from her home.
Today, Khadija prepares traditional dishes enriched with fresh vegetables, improving both the quality and diversity of her family’s diet. Her children are healthier, more energetic, and attend school more regularly. They also help in the garden, strengthening family bonds and shared responsibility. When harvests are good, Khadija sells small surpluses at the local market. The modest income helps cover essential needs and basic school materials for her children, supplementing her husband’s small earnings.
“Now, even when times are hard, I don’t feel helpless,” she says.
Keeping families together
Beyond food and income, the support restored something less tangible but just as vital for Khadija, her confidence. Through mother-to-mother support groups and ongoing follow-up, Khadija gained practical knowledge, encouragement, and a renewed sense of dignity as a caregiver.
Khadija’s journey reflects the core message of SOS Children’s Villages’ global work: most family separations are preventable when caregivers receive timely, appropriate support. By addressing poverty-related challenges, strengthening resilience and empowering parents, children can remain where they belong, within their families.
While poverty and hardship can place immense strain on families and increase the risk of breakdown, they do not define a family’s capacity to care. Across the world, many families living in extremely difficult circumstances continue to provide safe, supportive and nurturing environments for their children. Khadija’s story shows how, when strengthened by practical support and caring relationships, families can withstand hardship, protect their children and build a future together, free from violence and separation.
*To respect the person's privacy, their real name has not been used.