Children in the horn of Africa are faced with a myriad of problems ranging from war, hunger and lack of opportunities. Majority of the vulnerable children in this region live in Somalia. The long running conflict in Somalia has exposed children to untold suffering, and a generation of children may never know peace. Due to lack of social services, these children rarely access medical services, while the only available education is religious.
Despite all these, children of Somalia have shown resilience and determination to overcome suffering and maintain a peaceful environment for themselves. One such child is 15 years old Mahad Iman Dubad. The youngest child in a family of eight, Mahad attends school in Bualle the regional capital of Middle Juba in Somalia. Although the region is relatively calm, previous fighting has left a trail of destruction, a traumatized community and internally displaced people.
Initially, Abdi showed industrious characteristics in his learning time, lack of training facilities left him frustrated. However, through a peace project initiated by World Vision Somalia, Mahad has been able to explore his creativity and live a near normal life despite conflict. When the Child Support Programme was started in 2006, the child friendly space was constructed, and Mahad was one of the first children to join the friendly space.
His interests started showing in creative arts including poetry, drama and story telling. Mahad stands out among other children in many other disciplines including sports and leadership. Recently, Mahad was selected as the peer group team leader, and the captain of his football team. Mahad is also known to attract the attention of the community during public events, for his eloquence and captivating public presentation skills. Many of his poems are known, having been called upon to present in various communal gatherings.
Mahad's art has also been the subject of admiration. His painting (depicting his desire for peace, a stable government and development including education) that has been the subject of admiration, won him the opportunity to represent the Somali child in a forum in the USA. Sadly, since there has been no stable government in Somalia, processing Mahad's travel documents in neighboring Kenya was delayed, denying him a chance to represent fellow children.
Mahad could not hide his disappointment, which affected his previous passion for creativity. However, the disappointment did not last for long because he was once again able to represent Somali children in two other forums in Kenya and Brazil. During these conferences, Mahad highlighted the plight of Somali children in a country that lacks social infrastructure, and peace, while encouraging the participants to support the wellbeing of children in Somalia. Mahad still hopes to be a doctor in future to treat his people who he says are suffering due to lack of medical facilities and people to treat them.
Were it not for the child friendly space, Mahad would probably be fighting with a militia group, engaging in piracy or other vices. Many young boys have been lured to such vices due to lack of natural opportunities. Many more children take the high risk of piracy in the hope of making quick money; the parents of the lone survivor of the recent attempted hijacking of an America ship in the Indian Ocean have been reported saying that their son was aged 16. But along with other children, who attend the friendly space, Mahad has learnt skills and that are helping him positively cope with the situation in his country. Similarly, more needs to be done to protect more children in Somalia and in the horn of Africa region.
World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to work with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation and seek justice. Our focus is on children, with support to their families and the communities we work in. World Vision in Somalia targets over 500,000 children through various projects Education, Water and Sanitation, Advocacy, food and nutrition and Humanitarian Emergency Assistance.
The Organization of African Unity first created the Day of the African Child on June 16, 1991. It was on this day, in 1967, that thousands of black school children entered the streets of Soweto, South Africa, to demand their right to be taught in their own language and to protest the inferior quality of their education. Hundreds of students were shot down during the march, which led to a two week revolt that caused hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.
On the day of the African Child, nations, communities and individuals are encouraged to reflect on the challenges and conditions that may compromise the healthy development of African Children and youth around the world.
Facts and Figures
• Population - 7,960,000
• Under five mortality - 145/1,000
• Life expectancy - 47 years
• Prevalence of under-nutrition in total population- 36%
• Gross National income per capita- $226
• Percentage of population living on less that 1$ per day - 43.2%
• Proportion of population without sustainable access to an improved drinking water source - 71%
• IDPs percentage of the population - 17% (or 1.3 million people)
• Maternal mortality - 1,400/100,000
• Infant mortality - 90/1,000
Sources: UN, UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, World Bank
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Palestinian children stand in front of the gate to the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip during a protest against the Israeli blockade June 18, 2009. Israel, which pulled ...
