There’s an abundance of talent to be found at the Youth Center in Kismayo. And there are some whose talent shows up on the canvas, in the most colorful of ways. Meet Salmaan, Abdinasir, and Shamso. They’re the founding members of Aqil Art Group, a collective of young artists in Kismayo. Their passion? Using art to encourage peace, heal wounds, and express their hope for Somalia’s future. They believe that anyone can use art to express themselves – including those who have no experience with a paint brush and a canvas. We couldn’t agree more. So we’re dedicating Day 82 to helping these talented artists share their passion with other young people, and with the world. “I love art because it’s something to be proud of,” said Salmaan. “Art is the connection between the mind, the heart, and the hand.” They taught the gathered students the basics of painting, and encouraged them to express their thoughts and feelings about being back in Somalia with colors, symbols, shapes, … [Read more...] about A Day for Artists

“Most people cannot afford electricity here,” said Zaila, as he showed us around the Youth Center in Kismayo he helps to manage. “Most people don’t have power in their home.” Zaila is a mentor at the Youth Center. He knows firsthand how lack of light can infringe on learning, opportunities, and even safety. “In the rainy season especially, it’s dark and cold,” he said. “It’s difficult to do almost anything in the evening.” So, we thought, let’s get these kids something we know can change lives – Watts of Love headlamps. Thanks to The Shine On Project, we were able to give 90 kids at the Youth Center brand new solar-powered headlamps. “They’ll use the headlamps for some many purposes,” said Zaila. “To read at night. To study and do homework. Even for security. They have outhouses which are sometimes far away from their bedrooms – now they’ll even be able to go outside at night and feel much safer.” Many of these kids are transitioning from being a refugee outside of … [Read more...] about Shining Bright

Maslah Mowlid is the gardening teacher at the Youth Center in Kismayo. He’s passionate about the environment and the importance of living in a beautiful place. And, he has a few ideas for how to transform the city he lives in. “When you plant trees,” he said, “It makes everything more calm, more attractive and beautiful.” He also knows that young people will play a big role in making sure that Kismayo is a city people are proud to call home – and building a healthy environment for all. For Day 80, we wanted to help Maslah teach the lessons he's so passionate about - starting with trees! We purchased mango trees, lemon trees, and aloe vera plants, enough to plant around the perimeter of the center. Then Maslah and his students got to work. As they planted, Maslah taught them about the properties of each tree, how to plant them, how to take care of them, and what to expect over time. “These boys and girls are mostly returnees,” he said. “They need to learn … [Read more...] about Taking Root

“This is the single most important change we can make!” Zaila is an ARC teammate who works at our Youth Center in Kismayo. And he has a lot of ideas for changes to make. But one change in particular is number one on his list. The change he’s referring to? It might surprise you. The Youth Center is a place where young people – many of them former refugees – come to find community and the resources to build a future. And in the year since the center’s opened, more and more young folks have sought support there. Every day, the center sees close to 150 kids. But there was one major problem. The center had only ONE bathroom! That means no separation for boys and girls. And with 150 kids, that was getting to be an unsustainable situation. For $500, we were able to build one additional brand new latrine at the center. “We are so excited,” said Zaila. “You cannot imagine the difference this will make. Now girls can use one, and the boys can use another. They can be … [Read more...] about Peace of Mind

There are no book stores or libraries in Kismayo. So for people who love to read and learn, this is a problem. The Youth Center, run by the ARC team, supports hundreds of kids who are passionate about learning – and especially about learning English. But there just aren’t any English books readily available. That’s where we come in. For Day 78, we’re getting the Youth Center an infusion of new English books, helping these kids learn a little easier. Fatima is a young English student – she’s been learning for about a year – and, she says, it’s going pretty well. “The farther you go to advance English, the more difficult it gets!” But, Fatima knows that excelling in language skills is key. “I’m learning English for my future life,” she said. “I want to get a good job.” We got the Youth Center boxes filled with English books, brought from Mogadishu. Now, they’ll have a stack of books to pull from, supporting students like Fatima who are voracious learners. “I just … [Read more...] about Book Worms

The Youth Center in Kismayo supports hundreds of young former refugees get back on their feet. They offer so much IT classes, sewing classes, traditional dancing, you name it. But all those activities take a lot of work to plan and organize. The center’s teachers are the ones who hold it all together. Most of them volunteer their time and energy to helping young people learn – they believe in a bright future for these kids. For Day 77, we wanted to do something to help make the center just a little easier place to teach and give back. During the dry season, Kismayo is hot – and dry. And with safe drinking water sometimes difficult to come by, many people just simply don’t stay hydrated. During long days of teaching, this can be tough. One thing we could do to help out seemed simple – get these teachers some water! We installed water coolers in each teacher’s office. Now, a clean, cool glass of water is only a few steps away. These teachers play such a vital role … [Read more...] about Glass Half Full

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 … [Read more...] about Pen and Paper

The city of Kismayo is going through a transition. On the southern coast of Somalia, it’s seen an influx of thousands of former refugees, coming home for the first time in decades. One of the things we do in Kismayo is help those returned refugees find their feet again – helping shape Kismayo to be the most welcoming place it can be. And with more than half of those former refugees under the age of 30, there’s a big need for programs and activities that focus around young people. That’s where the Youth Center comes in! The Youth Center is a place where young returnees can grow job skills, meet people, gain confidence, and find positive, productive outlets. Young people learn useful job skills – like hair cutting and henna design, business, and IT skills. They organize performance and artist's groups. And, the center offers English, design, and computer classes, too. Really, the more appropriate might be – what DON’T they do?! As more and more young people come back to … [Read more...] about The Future is Bright

In Kismayo, Somalia, we met a remarkable woman. Her name is Sacdiyo, and she runs a center where she teaches young women in Kismayo to tailor and tie dye. Many of them are returned refugees, coming home after decades away. She knows the power of a useful skill and trade, and she’s sharing that power with her neighbors. ARC and Sacdiyo have worked together before – to build a training center called Wadajir – which means ‘togetherness.’ The women she trains offer services to the community - the demand for tailoring services is high. But Sacdiyo didn’t have enough equipment to keep up with the demand. So our team had an idea – let’s get them the tools they need to do their jobs. With a new sewing machine, Sacdyio and the women who work with her are able to produce more, earn more, and save more. They might even save enough to buy more machines, bring more women on. Sacdiyo is a woman who blazes her own trail. Who takes people with her and raises them up, too. It’s a … [Read more...] about A Way Forward

Yesterday, we met Fatuma. She’s adopted a group of 35 families in Kismayo who have traveled there in search of water and food – their town in northern Somalia has been heavily hit by drought. These families have lost everything. And while they now have access to clean drinking water – thanks to Fatuma – they lack containers to store the water. They’ve been making multiple trips a day, sometimes spending the majority of their time fetching this precious resource. Mohamuud, an ARC team member in Kismayo, had a simple idea. What if we could provide each family with jerry cans, something they don’t currently have? Then they would be able to get large amounts of water at a time, making their difficult days a little easier. “We say that water is life. If we can do this for these families it will be super,” said Mohamud. With a few calls, we soon had a truck bed full of yellow jerry cans. The families gathered, eager to have this simple tool that can save hours of walking … [Read more...] about Making Things Easier