Thursday October 6, 2022
READO official registering Abdullah for his school at the IDP site in Baidoa region, Somalia. Photo credit: READO
Despite being only 11 years old, Abdullah worked as a shoe shiner in Baidoa town, South West State. He lives with his family in Madhayto camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) — one of 517 IDP sites in Baidoa. Each morning, as the camp’s other children went to school, Abdullah would pack his shoe-shining tools and head to work. It was his responsibility to bring home food for his siblings.
Fortunately, local NGO Rural Education and Agriculture Development Organization (READO) stepped in to meet the educational needs of children at the IDP sites. Supported by the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), READO helps 15 schools: 10 public schools in Bardaale, Xudur and Awdinle areas, and five temporary schools in the IDP sites.
READO’s support enabled schools to retain 5,190 students (2,676 boys, 2,514 girls) and enroll 28 new students from the marginalized minority communities, including Abdullah.
Now a student at the Madhayto school for IDPs, Abdullah said: “I never ever want to go back to the shoe-shining again. I felt bad seeing other children go to school, but there was nothing I could do. At least writing is softer than brushing the shoes,” he jokes, hiding the blisters on his hands.
In collaboration with community leaders, READO was able to educate community members on the importance of sending their children to school. In addition to back-to-school campaigns, READO provided dry-food rations, clean water and learning kits for children each month.
Madhayto’s head teacher, Hassan Mohamed Adan, explained: “The IDP schools have saved the lives of many children. Their future was uncertain, and this is how they become vulnerable to abuse and bad elements in the community, who enlist them in armed conflict. But now they are settled in school, and this is good for us as a community.”
Through its implementing partner, SHF is prioritizing the future of young children through various interventions. Providing access to quality education is not only a right of every single child in Somalia but also an investment.