Southern Somali street boys in Garowe enjoy school and good sleep

[GBTarmy]

(ERGO) – Sharmarke Ali Ahmed, 11, is among 10 street children who have started a new life in Garowe, in northern Somalia’s state of Puntland, thanks to the support of the principal of a local primary school.

“I used to sniff glue and sometimes we would sleep on an empty stomach,” Sharmarke told Radio Ergo. “Now I have started studying, I observe my prayers, I get food and a place to sleep!”

Sharmarke was working as a shoe shiner when he decided to join the street boys and make the roadside his bed. When he went back home after a few days sleeping rough, he was beaten by his uncle and ran away from home for good.

He was fortunate to meet Adan Abdirahman Adan, the headteacher at Aden Mashru’ School.

Adan was disturbed to see so many young children living on Garowe’s streets and shared the findings of a survey he conducted with Sahan FM, a local radio station in town. The radio organized a call-in show to raise funds for the children.

Adan said he spent the $300 raised by listeners to buy clothes for the children. But he found he could not stop there, as he told Radio Ergo:

“I made friends with 18 of these children. Every morning I used to visit them where they slept, I even helped them get a haircut. After they trusted me, I asked them, what if I take you home, help you get education and support you – and they all agreed.”

The children come from families that have broken up through parental death, divorce and general grinding poverty.

Adan says he was unable to ignore the children’s plight and has spent $600 on food and support for them in the past two months.

Yussuf Hussein was abandoned by his parents who went to Mogadishu for medical treatment.

“A year ago my parents left me to live with a neighbouring family, but life was too hard so I joined the street children. I have not heard any information from my parents,” he said.

Life in the street was certainly not comfortable.

“When you sleep by the roadside, you get woken up by donkeys and watchmen all the time. But now I sleep peacefully, nobody wakes me up! I am getting an education and going to work,” Yussuf said.

Adan allows the children to work as shoe-shiners in the mornings to earn some pocket money for themselves. But after that, they have to focus on their lessons, including Somali, mathematics and Koranic studies.

Puntland has no formal support system for the care and rehabilitation of street children, so the burden has fallen on well-wishers like Adan.

“My goal is to see no child living in the streets,” he told Radio Ergo.

Adan focuses on children under the age of 15. However, he says he can only care for them for a year, after which time he will enroll then in public schools and the government should then take over responsibility.

 

[DR OSMAN]

(ERGO) – Sharmarke Ali Ahmed, 11, is among 10 street children who have started a new life in Garowe, in northern Somalia’s state of Puntland, thanks to the support of the principal of a local primary school.

“I used to sniff glue and sometimes we would sleep on an empty stomach,” Sharmarke told Radio Ergo. “Now I have started studying, I observe my prayers, I get food and a place to sleep!”

Sharmarke was working as a shoe shiner when he decided to join the street boys and make the roadside his bed. When he went back home after a few days sleeping rough, he was beaten by his uncle and ran away from home for good.

He was fortunate to meet Adan Abdirahman Adan, the headteacher at Aden Mashru’ School.

Adan was disturbed to see so many young children living on Garowe’s streets and shared the findings of a survey he conducted with Sahan FM, a local radio station in town. The radio organized a call-in show to raise funds for the children.

Adan said he spent the $300 raised by listeners to buy clothes for the children. But he found he could not stop there, as he told Radio Ergo:

“I made friends with 18 of these children. Every morning I used to visit them where they slept, I even helped them get a haircut. After they trusted me, I asked them, what if I take you home, help you get education and support you – and they all agreed.”

The children come from families that have broken up through parental death, divorce and general grinding poverty.

Adan says he was unable to ignore the children’s plight and has spent $600 on food and support for them in the past two months.

Yussuf Hussein was abandoned by his parents who went to Mogadishu for medical treatment.

“A year ago my parents left me to live with a neighbouring family, but life was too hard so I joined the street children. I have not heard any information from my parents,” he said.

Life in the street was certainly not comfortable.

“When you sleep by the roadside, you get woken up by donkeys and watchmen all the time. But now I sleep peacefully, nobody wakes me up! I am getting an education and going to work,” Yussuf said.

Adan allows the children to work as shoe-shiners in the mornings to earn some pocket money for themselves. But after that, they have to focus on their lessons, including Somali, mathematics and Koranic studies.

Puntland has no formal support system for the care and rehabilitation of street children, so the burden has fallen on well-wishers like Adan.

“My goal is to see no child living in the streets,” he told Radio Ergo.

Adan focuses on children under the age of 15. However, he says he can only care for them for a year, after which time he will enroll then in public schools and the government should then take over responsibility.

Over-all good news but we have no data how many kids are like this in PL, if there is thousands like this, helping one kid among a sea of thousands isn't a big 'impact' but at least it's a start. We need numbers in Puntland so we can then measure the benefit achieved.

Adan allows the children to work as shoe-shiners in the mornings to earn some pocket money for themselves. But after that, they have to focus on their lessons, including Somali, mathematics and Koranic studies.

I would eliminate this and begin reformation on Islam in PL. The kids brain isn't developed with knowledge yet, if they want to study religion, they must first study normal knowledge, not study creator knowledge. If u don't even understand the world you are in, to expect them to understand the creator at such a young age is ridiculous.

That's why they can easily become radicals and kill people, diinta ayaa uu hormarisay wiil yar oo maskaxdisa qaadi karin diinta. Spend 20 years filling his brain with earthly knowledge and only then select the best among them in grades to continue religious study if they so choose. This will be radical reform to the Somali culture who is used to sending kids to koranic school early in childhood, but 'reforms' are always 'painful' and yes I expect to be called a KAFFIR, MURTAD, ETC but this is one thing I want to contribute to Puntland and is very dear to me such as Islamic reformation. But the Islamist will pose a challenge economically cause they're tycoons in PL telecommunication and hawala sectors. They will pose political challenge thru al-ictisam, dam jadiid, and all the nonsensical parties of the muslim brotherhood@Omar del Sur @Lord of Warshiekh @Al Kafi then I have to face the violent muslim faction of shabab. So yes there will be hurdles for my Islamic reformation, I may even be killed. Allah yarxama bury me a G.

Imagine how many 'hafiz' physics, mathamatics, technologist, chemistry, economist, nuclear scientists ayaa noo soo bixi laha hadi carurteena ku bilaabi lahayn cilmiga kow sida china samayso oo koranka loo dambeeyo illa ay maskaxdooda' dhismayso ama waa jahil quran aqrinayo oo aan cilmi horta haysan kkkk @Jablibax. Nebiga isago 40 jir ayuu quranka bilabay, kuma bilabin 5 jir, you need to be a man first, u need to experience life, society, cilmi inaad samaysato weeye, even he was a ganacsato markeedi hore from 25 illa 40. Somalidu dhib badana, wiil shan jir bay raban inay quranka hormariyan, I would ban this as president of puntland lakin si tartib ah baan uu samayn laha si aysan ISLAMISTS dalka joggo dagaal igu soo qaadin. Haday igu soo qaadana, al hamdulilah, hadi aan umadasi reformation uu dhaafi kari, even after I die, maybe wiil bah dubay baa aqrisanayo tarikhda dr osman sida aan anigu uu aqrisado tarikhda badar oo boqortoyo uu dagalamay.

 

[towerheist]

The title is misleading as f*ck. Nowhere in the article does it imply that these boys are from the South.

Why lie and try to shift this towards the South when you couldve just ignored the whole article? Or is this some sort of pr damage control? Yaab

 

[DR OSMAN]

@Jablibax Somalis think the Doctor wants something from them like @TekNiKo @Dues Ex Machete @Sheikh

Only a few understand doctor truly and his agenda and ambition like @angelplan @Lex Luther

War niyahow, I am sharing my knowledge with you, I am not hiding it and creating 'bah dubays' plot for my tribe so I can harm you, I am publically displaying it so all Somalis can read it, analyze it, and see if it holds water or not but Somalis are not used to this approach because it's not a culture of knowledge in knowledge you must share it so it's tested by your peers in academics like universities or even social settings. Do I seek anything. Of course not, other then having a nation that I am proud of oo aan gaalada iska celin kari, rather then be told wait for your 'rice bag' African boy.

That is only my agenda nothing else. I am not looking for presidency, ministry, or anything from Puntland or Somalia. I live in Australia, why would I seek a job in 3rd world country lol?

I studied and grew up in the western world, I have to compete in the western world, waa 'asaagay' dee. Intan ka soo cararo aasagay oo wadan liito tago oo shaqo ka radso waa jab igu dhacay noolashayda. I ain't leaving Australia, I grew up here, I studied here, I worked here. My competition is in Australia because I was prepared by Allah and my family when they migrated here in the 80's. Anagu waxan nahay dadki 80'ska ka soo tagay Somalia, xitaa manahin dadka 90s ama 2000ka yimi. I have nothing to gain by sharing my knowledge other then for the betterment of Somalis. I have no personal or tribal agenda and the Somalis who think that, 'weli ma fahamsana' doctorka.

 

[Hassan Garguute Buldanana]

Good for him, may Allah swt reward him for taking care of these orphans.

 

[FBIsomalia]

Last year the best student in the 8 grade is from IDP camp.

 

[𐒁𐒚𐒒𐒂𐒘𐒂𐒗 𐒎𐒚𐒗𐒗𐒒]

Those Southern Mps taking fat salaries need to be held accountable for the thousands of their people who live in IDP camps or homeless on Puntland's streets.

How long should Puntland babysit Southerners??

Whilst it is our Islamic duty, it is NOT our civic duty.

However Lafta Gareen and these other people spend their time fighting other politicians via the media.

Ridiculous

 

[GBTarmy]

The title is misleading as f*ck. Nowhere in the article does it imply that these boys are from the South.

Why lie and try to shift this towards the South when you couldve just ignored the whole article? Or is this some sort of pr damage control? Yaab

Are you blind or just suffer from comprehension difficulty? It clearly states from Muqdisho and u can see they are from the south


Lol @ pr damage control it's actually the opposite

 

[towerheist]

Are you blind or just suffer from comprehension difficulty? It clearly states from Muqdisho and u can see they are from the south


Lol @ pr damage control it's actually the opposite

Lol no it doesnt you dishonest prick, the dude is helping children whomes parents have divorced or are orphans. And one of the childs parents had to abandon him because they couldnt get quality healthcare in PL and head to Muqdisho. And if these children were from South Im quite sure they wouldve mentioned that in the article.

 

[towerheist]

Those Southern Mps taking fat salaries need to be held accountable for the thousands of their people who live in IDP camps or homeless on Puntland's streets.

How long should Puntland babysit Southerners??

Whilst it is our Islamic duty, it is NOT our civic duty.

However Lafta Gareen and these other people spend their time fighting other politicians via the media.

Ridiculous

There is +600k IDPs in Muqdisho alone and you dont see us crying about them every fuckin day or making thread after thread about what they get from us. If you dont see them as your fellow countrymen in need go blame your PL government for not having the balls to secede.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

There is +600k IDPs in Muqdisho alone and you dont see us crying about them every fuckin day or making thread after thread about what they get from us.

You don’t give them shit
You guys literally steal the aid meant for them.

 

[towerheist]

You don’t give them shit
You guys literally steal the aid meant for them.

Prove it.

 

[Misil]

Living rent free in your heads just like we're doing in your lands. Nigga thought we wouldn't realise that these boys are not from the south but are local local poor people. Talk about obsession

 

[Crow]

You don’t give them shit
You guys literally steal the aid meant for them.

On top of that, it's his people's fault that these people are IDPs in the first place.