Mogadishu – Ahmed Abdullahi Ahmed believes in education. He believes in its power to transform the lives of his fellow Somalis and in its capacity to help transform Somalia.
His belief is grounded in his personal experience.
“Until I was older, I had no idea how tough it was for my parents to
pay for my school fees and other necessary things for my education, such
as books and uniforms, so I can easily appreciate the plight of people
who did not even have parents who could afford to pay for their
education, and this is what inspired me to work in educational
development,” Mr. Ahmed says.
The education activist was born in 1993, in the early years of
Somalia’s descent into civil war. The conflict meant his schooling was
delayed.
At the age of nine, he was finally enrolled at the Al-Ma’mun Al-Azhar
Primary School in Mogadishu. However, just five years into his
schooling, he and his family fled the worsening violence in the capital
and moved to Dhusamareb, the capital city of Galgaduud.
“I was disappointed, but I could not stop my dream of getting an
education. I was eventually able to finish my high schooling in 2012 in
Dhusamareb,” Mr. Ahmed says.
The need for patience continued. Just as with his primary and
secondary education, there was a further delay with his tertiary
education – Mr. Ahmed had to wait three years before he could start
university, partly because he was responsible for helping support his
family, which he did by working in small business enterprises.
In 2015, he enrolled at SIMAD University in Mogadishu, graduating
four years later with a bachelor’s degree in public administration. He
was able to afford the education thanks to his brother, who paid his
tuition fees.
Reflecting on his education journey, he noted the one common thread
throughout: a lack of financial resources to afford his education. At
the same time, he was very aware that he was fortunate as, even though
it was a struggle, he was ultimately able to graduate.
A vocation
While completing his studies, Mr. Ahmed also started teaching
children living in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) around
Mogadishu.
“I began helping children who did not go to school, first and
foremost with the basic skills of reading and writing,” he recalls. “I
felt that every time I taught a lesson I fulfilled a vital duty to
society.”
The experience helped shape his views. Upon graduating, Mr. Ahmed
figured out his vocation: promoting education so that as many Somali
children as possible would be able to access this life-changing
experience.
So, in 2019, he returned to Dhusamareb. While in 2007 he and his
family had fled there to escape the fighting in Mogadishu, this time it
was a voluntary decision – he was determined to help his local
community, inspired by his teaching experience with IDPs.
Mr. Ahmed established Gargaar (transl.: ‘Help’) in early 2020, a
non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to helping aspiring
students, aged between five and 18, from disadvantaged and impoverished
backgrounds.
“When I finished university, I returned to the city that saved my
life and founded an organisation to help poor people, especially in
rural areas and in IDP camps where there is no access to basic services,
including education,” he says.
The 29-year-old notes that, while the Galmudug school system may
cater to the majority of the Federal Member State’s students, there were
many who cannot access formal education structures – such as young IDPs
and members of other marginalised communities – and that was where
Gargaar had a role to play.
Gargaar focuses on education and health. Made up of 33 staff, and
boosted by many volunteers, the NGO does this by helping the
disadvantaged with the cost of schooling and medical care, especially in
rural areas and in IDP camps.
“In 12 areas that fall under Dhusamareb, we have assisted close to
1,000 students to achieve their educational dreams and also established
several schools. We have supported teachers and provided them with
resources such as training and salaries. So far, around 847 pupils – of
which 321 are girls – have benefitted from our support,” he says.
Support and recognition
The NGO’s resources are limited, but with financial support from
local residents of Dhusamareb, especially youth and civil servants, the
organisation has been able to raise enough funds for its projects.
“We receive a small amount of money from the people in the
surrounding areas, from government officials and from the Ministry of
Education. We also get donations from the schools’ neighbours who also
devote their time to help manage the schools,” says Mr. Ahmed.
In addition to financial support from the local community in
Dhusamareb, Gargaar also benefits from a network of committed
volunteers.
“The idea of promoting education in rural areas and IDP camps that
led my friends and I to start Gargaar in 2019 now attracts 164 young
people who willingly participate in the organisation’s activities. They
come on separate days and help in various ways, including motivating
teachers and sometimes participating in teaching students,” Mr. Ahmed
says.
The NGO’s efforts have been recognised locally.
“Gargaar is a youth organisation that is a pillar for the development
of education in Galmudug. It is providing a much-needed service in the
field of education – it is hard to find such dedication,” says
Galmudug’s Minister of Education, Mohamed Hashi Dhore.
Gargaar’s success in educational outreach to young people in
Dhusamareb’s marginalised communities has led to further approaches. In
2020, Galmudug’s Ministry of Health invited Gargaar to work together on
health promotion activities in the city.
Mr. Ahmed and his collaborators did not hesitate in joining since, he
says, “from our interactions with people of different communities we
knew we could guide the government towards where services were needed
most.”
The relationship has since blossomed.
“In 2021, with the support of Galmudug’s Ministry of Health and youth
volunteers, we succeeded in building and equipping the first maternal
and child health centre in Dhusamareb, with Care International paying
the salaries of those working at the centre,” says Mr. Ahmed. “We now
employ up to nine health workers and aim to double that number by this
coming year.”
“We hope that our work will soon spread through the entire Galmudug State,” he adds.
Education for youth
The United Nations believes that quality education equips children to
succeed in life, providing them with life skills to take care of
themselves and fulfill their potential. In addition, upholding the right
to education promotes normalcy and can give hope for the future, not
only for children but also for their families and communities.
However, for many children in Somalia, going to school and receiving a good education is still a dream out of their reach.
More than three million children in Somalia are out of school. In
many areas across the country, parents are not able to fund their
children’s education. In addition to poverty, long distances to school,
safety concerns, social norms favouring boys’ education, marginalisation
and lack of teachers, particularly female teachers, and the low
availability of sanitation facilities stop parents from enrolling
children, especially girls, in school.
Children in nomadic pastoralist communities are constantly on the
move and often denied their right to an education. The ongoing conflict
and natural disasters also continue to displace children and families,
making it very difficult for them to continue schooling.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works closely with Somali educational
authorities to improve children’s access to schools, enhance learning
and skills and ensure that children in emergencies and on the move are
protected and have opportunities to access education.
– UNSOM –
