As former refugees return to Somalia, new neighborhoods are springing up – there’s an infusion of youth and energy in the city. But one problem is keeping up with demand. Sometimes, there aren’t enough schools to meet everyone’s needs. Luckily, there are a lot of people coming up with creative ways to get kids in the classroom.
One of those people is Abshir Mohamed Ahmed. He’s a teacher who lives in an underserved neighborhood in Kismayo, one that didn’t have its own school. So naturally, he decided to start his own.
“I just want them to be successful people in the future,” said Abshir, speaking of his students. “I want to fill the void of education.”
Since Abshir’s school isn’t officially a part of the system, they struggle to get enough supplies to keep them going. Sometimes they run out of basic things, like pencils and paper. But they’re working on it – hoping to get their certification soon. In the meantime, there was something we could do.
We gathered Abshir and some of his students at the Youth Center, and surprised them with boxes filled with notebooks and pencils! They were so excited.
“This will really help them to learn well,” said Abshir.
Abshir is the type of person who sees a problem and does something about it. We get that – because that’s what we strive to do, too. With just this small boost, Abshir and his students will get the things they need to learn unhindered – and get back to what they do best.
