RETURNED DADAAB REFUGEE TEACHES IDP CHILDREN IN MOGADISHU

Having spent most of his life in the Dadaab refugee camps in north-eastern Kenya, Mohamed Abdi Ishaq, 26, has spent the last few months since returning to Somalia setting up a school for IDP children in Mogadishu.

The 84 children are from the most deprived families in El ba’ad IDP camp in Weydow village, 7 km south of the capital.

“When I came here I saw these children facing a bleak future. I was not busy in any other work, so I decided to educate them as a volunteer since they are from poor families who cannot afford to take their children to school,” Mohamed told me.

In a corrugated-iron building, the children crowd in, seated on the sand floor for morning lessons in Somali, English and mathematics.  The only equipment is a blackboard on the wall. Not all the children have an exercise book.

Mohamed graduated from Towfiq secondary school in Dadaab’s Ifo camp in 2014 and has not found work since then. He lives with his uncle’s family in El-ba’ad camp as they own no property and cannot afford to rent a house in the city.

He was a baby when the civil war started in Somalia and his family fled as refugees to Dadaab.

“It was always my childhood dream to be a teacher. My hope now is to find funding to go to university to study education and work as a fully trained teacher here,” he said.

Eight-year-old Abdullahi Omar, one of Mohamed’s students, told me he used to beg his father to take him to school, but his father, a porter, could not afford to pay the fees.

“When I saw my age-mates wearing uniform and going to school, I used to envy them because I did not have that chance, but now I am happy to get an opportunity to learn,” he said.

Maryan Ahmed Mohamed, the chairwoman of El-ba’ad camp, told me the blackboard was bought on credit and the chalk is bought when needed by the families.

“Some of the children do not have books. You can find two children from one family sharing a single exercise book.  Still, I am happy to see that our children are getting knowledge,” she said.

Osman Awow Mohamed is disabled and cannot work. Two of his three children are being taught by Mohamed. They have to work in the afternoon after classes as shoe shiners and selling leftovers of khat so the family can buy food.

“To be honest, since they started going to this school they are able to read and write,” Osman said proudly.

Aweis Haji Nor
Journalist
Aweysaar@gmail.com