Sasca News Feb 2017

SOMALI ADULT SOCIAL CARE AGENCY WWW.SASCA.ORG.UK

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Produced in association with MMU FEB 2017

Focus on education is key to youth success In any language Abraham Moss pupil Amino is a star

by Jack Colwell

A SOMALIAN pupil from Abraham Moss Community School has won a languages award for her interpreting work.

Amino Ali won the award at the Make Time for Languages celebration held at Manchester Metropolitan University.

There are 62 different languages spoken at the school and Amino is part of a group of young translators trained to provide interpretation services to fellow students, parents and staff. Languages in the scheme include Somali, Urdu, Polish, Dutch and Italian.

The students from Abraham Moss Community School were regarded the stars of the evening and had also recently won the TES International Schools Award, with the judges saying: “The young translators team and commitment to tackling extremism are clearly powerful agents for learning, positivity and respect for all.”

by Mohammed Wadi

THE first ever Somali Inspirational Awards were held in Moss Side organised by Somali community activists and spearheaded by the Somali-born Moss Side Councillor Mahdi Sharif.

According to the organisers, the event was intended to give encouragement to Somali students to do more and to award those who have made achievements in their education.

During the event, many Somali community leaders spoke at the events and all of them stressed the importance of education, urging Somali youngsters to take their schooling seriously and to fully benefit from the opportunities they have in order to become tomorrow’s doctors, teachers and engineers.

At the end of the event, prizes were given to the pupils with the organisers including, Hassan Jabuti, Hanan and Ali promising that this will not be the end but similar annual events to come in the coming years.

Turn to page 6 for pictures of the event

Gill Houghton, head teacher at Abraham Moss said: “We turn no child away, we celebrate diversity, every child who speaks English as an additional language is an asset to the school.

“I am interested in the 1,700 children in my school, we take care of them. If every head teacher in the country takes this approach then we will be living in a very safe, global community.”

Amina, pictured, said: “We have a very bright future. All pupils feel safe, valued, and special from the very first day at Abraham Moss.

“We celebrate our differences. Your opinion matters, you have the right to say what you think. We want everyone, everywhere to have basic human rights.

“We take our responsibilities as dual-citizens very seriously and we take injustices in society very seriously.”

INSPIRATION: Councillor Mahadi Sharif with younsgers at the award evening

A brave man lets his son go

by Mawliid Nuur

ONE of the ways men are respected in the community is there level of bravery. Men who are scared and afraid are really not considered to be men at all.

One day there was a young lady who was in panic and despair. At the top of her voice she shouted “somebody help!! somebody help!”.

A man who was nearby heard the cries of a damsel in distress. He immediately ran to help the young lady in need. He didn’t really think twice about whether or not he would be able to help out in the situation. The only thing he knew was that if could help, he would be seen as a brave man and gain the respect of the people.

He arrived at the scene. The young lady was pointing her finger to a huge snake on the ground. She the shouted “kill it!!” The man had a very bad phobia of snakes and fainted as soon as he saw it. The snake got away.

The women was confused so when the man was conscience again she said “you scared cat why didn’t kill the snake and let it get away?”

The man try to get some dignity back and replied “I am a retired brave man oh the big snakes I have killed.”

Got a story? Then ring our newsdesk on 227 7966 or email info@sasca.org.uk

From a smuggler’s boat to studying for a Phd

A YOUNG Somalian who arrived in the UK after battling through adversity has become the first-ever asylum seeker to be admitted onto a PhD programme.

Abbas Roble travelled from Somalia through to the Libyan coast, on a people smuggler’s boat across the Mediterranean to Crete and then found his way through Europe to the UK.

He left Somalia with no formal education and was determined to educate himself after being released by UK immigration authorities.

Abbas joined a college in Leeds to take his GCSEs and an access to higher education course, after which he was offered a place to study physics at the University of Manchester.

However, he was forced to defer his place for two years after his immigration status halted his progress and his classification as an international student meant he had no access to student finance to help pay student fees.

Fortunately for Abbas, the Helena Kennedy Foundation’s Article 26 project granted him a full tuition fee bursary and a small grant that allowed him to begin his studies at the University Manchester.

Abbas began his studies in 2012

by Jack Colwell

and commuted from Leeds every day for three years as he was unable to afford rent.

This outstanding effort saw an appeal launched for him by staff and a tutor then offered to provide Abbas with free accommodation in term time for his final year.

Abbas has now obtained a first class Master of Physics with Theoretical Physics and will continue his journey at the university as he looks to start his PhD.

“Manchester is where new physics is born.

“It’s where the atom was split, the first computer was built and graphene was isolated,” said Abbas.

“The university is a world-leading institution for fundamental physics, and Manchester is a beautiful cosmopolitan city.

“I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have the perfect student experience.”

Dr Tim Westlake, university director of student experience, said “Abbas is an exceptional young man, and I’m delighted that the university has been able to support him in his studies.

THE government has introduced a new benefit cap limiting total income a household can receive to £20,000-a-year.

It says the move is designed as an incentive for those on benefits to move in to a job.

Work and pensions secretary

MEMBERS of Sasca News travelled to London to share their experience of starting a Somali newspaper with community groups from around the country.

Mohammed Wadi and Kowser Ahmed were invited to talk at the Somali Voices event along with MMU lecturer Dave Porter, who helps edit Sasca News.

The event in July in the heart of London was organised by the Media Trust, which set up the Somali Voices project, and was a networking event for more than 40 participants.

The event brought together Somali Voices participants from London, Manchester and Bristol to talk about the media representation of the Somali community.

The day was filled with:

• Discussions and insightful case studies

• The sharing of best practice from across the various projects

• A networking opportunity for people to meet other active members of the Somali community

Mohammed said: “Myself and Dave gave a hsort presentation on how Sasca News was set up and how important it is as a voice for the Somali community in Manchester.

“We talked about the difference the paper had made in the community and how we received help from Manchester Metropolitan University in producing the paper, as well as getting a grant from the city council to pay for printing costs.

“I think it inspired many people to go back and set up a newspaper in their own communities.”

As well as presentations, the event gave people a chance to meet up activists from around the country and share experiences – negative and positive – about how the Somali community is portrayed in the media.

It was agreed by many participants that the Somali community has been too slow to respond to negative publicity about their community, particularly in the light of high profile court cases.

Many participants talked about using the power of social media to counter negative publicity and to portray the Somali community in a positive light. Dave added: “It was very inspiring to see so many different groups from different parts of the country doing so many great things to help raise the profile of the Somali community.

“I hope that our tale of Sasca News in turn inspired others to go out and set up their own newspaper after seeing how easily it could be done. There was even talk of setting up a national Somali newspaper in the UK, which would be fantastic.”

Groups who took part in the event came from all across the country, including Bristol, Leicester, Manchester and London.

Damien Green said it was wrong that some claimants could receive more in benefits than the average wage and that the government was making it “as easy as possible” for claimants to get work, through free childcare offers and other measures.

Benefits affected by the cap include child tax credit, housing

benefit, jobseeker’s allowance and income support.nHouseholds where someone works more than 16 hours a week are exempt.

Under the new cap, those living Manchester will receive a maximum of:

 £384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) for a couple

How would like to write for Sasca News?

 £384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) for single people whose children live with them

 £257.69 per week (£13,400 a year) for single people who do not have children or whose children do not live with them

Benefits crackdown hurts families Somali Voices heard loud and clear at conference

We need more volunteers to come and help put future editions of Sasca News together.

If you think you might be able to spare a few hours each month contributing towards ideas for the paper, as well as researchng and writing stories - and see your name in print! - then we’d love to hear from you.

For anyone with an interest in the media and their local community this is an ideal opportubity - just pop into the Sasca office to let us know.

Above: and below delegates at the Media Trust conference in London which featured members of Sasca.

Cafe set to expand into a restaurant

UNIQUE café on Princess Road is soon to change in to a fully-fledged restaurant, its owners have told Sasca News.

The owner of the café, Sahal Abdulkadir, said: “After having seen the growing need of the residents in Moss Side, I have decided to invest a bit and convert my unique café in to restaurant.”

According to Mr Abdulkadir, very experienced chefs will be working in the restaurant who have spent many years working in Afghan Cuisine on Wimslow road.

The 34-year-old Somalian, who also runs Muniita Beauty shop with his wife, says all cuisines will be available in the new restaurant and he hopes to bring a greatly needed service to Moss Side residents and the areas around it. Many residents spoken to by SASCA News stated that they were looking forward to the new restaurant and added that they always welcomed every new development in the area.

A job with BBC Somali radio service for Qalib

A SOMALI student who jinued MMU after seeing an advert in Sasca News has just landed a prestigious job with the BBC World Service.

He’ll be part of the launch team for the BBC’s brand new Somali TV service which will go on air in 2017 - 70 years since the BBC first started broadcasting in Somali on the radio.

This is a dream come true for Qalib who remembers listening to the BBC Somali Service as a young boy growing up in Somalia and it inspired his love for the language, its poetry and music. When his family had to leave and came to live in Manchester, the BBC Somali Service provided him with a link to his home country.

Qalib was able to start realisinghis dream of working for the BBC in 2015 when he saw an advert for the Man Met University journalism scholarship in the very first issue of SASCA news - a bilingual newspaper produced by Manchester’s Somali community and Man Met Uni’s journalism department.

Not only did Qalib, 29, who lives in Hulme, win the Al-Ha-

by Liz Hannaford

beeb scholarship enabling him to study full-time for a Masters degree in Multimedia Journalism, he then beat off 500 applicants from around the UK to win a place on a prestigious training scheme at BBC World Service for bilingual reporters.

The high point of the four-week internship at New Broadcasting House in London was broadcasting live on the BBC Somali Service to audiences in the Horn of Africa and across the diaspora.

Having impressed the editors at BBC World Service, he was encouraged to apply for a post in the soon-to-be-launched TV Service for Somalia. After a rigorous selection process, he beat a number of internal BBC candidates to secure the full-time post as Multimedia Broadcast Journalist. This will mean leaving Manchester and starting a new life in London.

Qalib said: “I wanted to make a positive contribution to the reconstruction of my home country and I thought the best way to achieve this was through fair, impartial and objective journalism.”

Kowsar is a Sasca hero for her volunteer work

SOMALI Adult Social Care Agency has honoured Miss Kowsar Ahmed who has volunteered her time in helping the communities in Moss Side through SASCA.

Miss Ahmed volunteered for SASCA for a year helping the residents in Moss Side in terms of contacting social services on their behalf, filling forms, accompanying to their appointments and offering them translation services.

Ms Kowsar, who is studying nursing at Manchester University, gave her free time working for the community by volunteering for SASCA two days-a-week

During the event Kowsar said. “I am so grateful for the opportunity that SASCA has given me.

As I volunteer I have learned so much and I was fortunate enough to meet members of the community and also work alongside some of the most amazing people. I would like to thank everyone at SASCA for making it a positive experience.”

Speaking at the event organised to honour Kowsar, Mohamed Jeilani, the chairman of Somali Adult Social Care (SASCA), said: “We are have been very honoured and privileged to have you in our centre and during your stay with us, you have been role model and shown what people like you can do for their community.”

Mr Jeilani also wished Kowsar success in her future role as an Assessor of apprenticeship with First Focus On People in Moss Side.

‘We must work to end FGM’

MINA Nakai, who is PHD student at the University of London, is currently undertaking a research on female genital mutilation (FGM) and has been interviewing members of the Somali community.

Mohammed Wadi, of SASCA News, had the chance to meet with Mina and interview her about her project.

SASCA: Could you please give more information about your background?

Mina: I’m originally from Japan, and I came to Manchester, the UK over 10 years ago for my education and I am currently undertaking a PhD degree in Royal Holloway, the University of London.

SASCA: I understand that you are doing a research about female genital mutilation. What is female genital mutilation, can you explain little bit about this and did you start this research?

Mina: FGM is currently practiced in 28 countries across the world, such as Africa, Middle East and Asian countries, but it is also practised in some communities in European countries including in the UK, North America and Australia. More than 200 million girls and women are living with the consequences of FGM around the world.

The first time I heard about FGM was when I was an undergraduate student during my lectures in Japan and at the same time I met a Somali lady who came to Japan as a refugee, who told me stories about FGM. After I gathered information about FGM, I had a strong passion to act to change the situation; that’s why I decided to research about this as my topic for my PhD research.

SASCA: You have interviewing members

Work to stop radical groups

SASCA is to hold a series of events aimed at raising awareness on the dangers radical groups pose in threating to divide Manchester communities, based on misinterpretation on the Islamic teachings.

The events will focus on the danger of radicalism making vulnerable individuals become part of such groups and mosques and religious institutions will play important roles in curbing the radicalism.

Islamic scholars will be invited to give lectures and explain the true teachings of Islam and that radicalism is not acceptable in Islam. Awareness sessions will focus on more interaction between Muslim and non-Muslim communities to live in harmony and respect regardless of race, sex and religion.

Sasca reach-out volunteers will be getting in touch with the vulnerable individuals, particularly with the young people to engage them in volunteering, get employment and building relationships within the Manchester communities.

of the Somali community, so why only the Somali community members?

Mina: As I already mentioned, the Somali lady who I met in Japan gave me a strong impression about Somalia and I wanted to learn more about Somalia, not only its attitude towards FGM but also just more about the country’s cultures and traditions.

SASCA: It is always said there is a taboo surrounding the issue and people do not like to talk about. How has the response from the community been so far?

Mina: To be honest, before I started my field research, I was really worried that the community members wouldn’t want to talk about FGM with me as it is a taboo subject and I am not from a Somali background. Especially as I planned to interview not only female members of the community but also male members – this was really challenging for me.

Surprisingly, every community member who I met and undertook interviews with were really open-minded, so I could talk about FGM with both men and women and I could gather lots of important information for my research. I really appreciate everyone for accepting me and welcoming me into the community.

SASCA: What do you think pushes parents to carry out this practice on their daughters and during your research, have you met someone who has suffered as the direct consequence of this practice?

Mina: There are really complicated factors that come into play when deciding whether or not to practice on daughters mainly around the parents’ own background, experiences and upbringing. I have met some women that have

Meeting over youth is held

MEMBERS of Sasca met with police officers to discuss problems which had been reported about troublesome youths in the community.

Police and community support officers discussed ways in which they could help make sure that youths stayed out of trouble and do no cause a nuisance fo r residents in Moss Side.

Sasca members said concern had been expressed to them by parents about rowdy youths on the street and are interested in finding ways to keep them occupied.

suffered as the direct consequence of FGM such as difficulties to have sex with husband, delivering babies, pain during their period and so on. It was really sad to hear any of these stories.

SASCA: I understand that Japan is not one of the countries where FGM is practiced, so what made you to carry out a research on this issue? Is there any particular reason as to why you are so interested in the issue?

Mina: Japan is not one of the countries where FGM is practised, but after I learnt that a significant number of women and girls have had difficulties with their lives having experienced FGM, I strongly felt that I would like to help these situations, and become involved with females who have experienced FGM to help in any way I can.

During my field work, I often considered it to be a good idea for me to carry on my research to learn more about this practice and understand participant’s experiences. Lots of community members encouraged me to continue my research and gave me really positive feedback on our discussions. This positive feedback and support helped me hugely to complete my field research.

SASCA: The UK government has recently tightened laws on FGM, what can you tell us about this?

Mina: FGM is an illegal practice in the UK; however there are only a few cases where practitioners have been arrested. As the decision makers for girls having FGM practised on them or not is commonly a family member (likely their mother), it is difficult for girls to raise their voice about this.

As such, I believe that working together as a local community is important to eradicate FGM and that this can have a bigger impact than the law.

SASCA: Are you conducting your research only on the Somali community or there are other communities involved and do you envisage going to Somalia as part of your research?

Mina: I am only focusing on Somali background people in the UK for my research. However, I’m hoping to involve different background communities as well in the future.

SASCA: How do you think the outcome of your research will impact on the communities where female genital mutilation is widely practiced?

Mina: It is difficult for me to tell you clearly how my research might impact on the communities where FGM is practiced, because it is still at the early stage of my research.

However, some of the community members mentioned that they had never discussed FGM before with family or friends, or even thought about it them-

selves. Moreover, some of the people I spoke with didn’t even know what FGM was about. Lots of participants who I undertook interviews with told me that after the interview, they discussed the issue with family and friends.

Some of the women that I spoke with told me that they had begun to consider why this had happened to them, and how they can change the situation for future generations.

When I heard about these responses from some participants, I believed that my research could be a good starting point for them to think about FGM further, and they could make a positive impact on local communities in the future.

SASCA: What do you think are needed in order to stop this practice, what do the community leaders need to help eradicate this practice?

Mina: I think all community members need to understand what FGM is and why people keep practising it. Having knowledge about FGM and understanding why people practise FGM is significantly important to eradicate this practice in the future. Communication between both older and younger generations could also help to make a difference.wAt the same time, it is important for community leaders to take the lead in eradicating FGM - however I think every community member needs to be involved and act together. Through my field research with SASCA, all community members have been so open minded and friendly. I have been left with a positive impression that different generations and genders can discuss about FGM and act for the future together.

first

Sasca grew from humble origins of its Elders

COMMUNITY activist Rick Gwilt talks about how Sasca came about and the impact it has had in the community of Moss Side.

Back around 2006, Manchester City Council, in partnership with the voluntary-sector support agency Macc, launched a funding scheme for local community groups called Partnership for Older People Projects (POPP), aiming to encourage communities to do more to support their own ageing populations and work in partnership.

In the case of Manchester’s fragmented Somali community, the funding process threw together several groups which drew their identity more from divisions back in Somalia than any distinctive local role in Manchester.

These groups had limited experi-

ence of collaboration and remained quite territory-conscious. When POPP agreed to fund the Somali Elders Project, each group took responsibility for managing a different aspect of the Project.

So while the project broke new ground in developing a focus on Somali social welfare in Manchester, rather than events in Somalia, its management arrangement was a recipe for chaos.

It was to help resolve this conflict that Macc brought me in as a consultant to work with the project in 2007.

Initially there were some lively debates, fuelled by sectional interests, but fortunately community leaders like Mohamed Jeilani understood that without unity nothing would be achieved.

The Elders project was allowed to

die a natural death, and in July 2008 we created Sasca as a unified and independent charitable company with a broadly representative board, a business plan and a focus on service delivery.

This marked the start of a long learning curve, as an organisation born out of oral culture, patriarchal society and civil war adjusted to local standards for things like written information (in a foreign language), gender equality and health and safety.

Sasca’s continued survival in such a challenging UK political climate owes much to the persistence of those community leaders who have remained involved since 2006. It has been my pleasure to work with them.

Rick Gwilt, pictured right with members of SASCA

INSPIRATIONAL: Councillor Mahdi Shjarif pictured with youngsters and members of the community at the

ever Somali Inspirational Awards

SASCA NEWS

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Produced in association with MMU Issue no: 3 DEC 2016 by

by Mohamed Wadi

Naadiga Saaxiibada

URRURKA SASCA waxa uu waayeelka Soomaalida ah ee Manchester u aas aasay naadiga asxaabta, halkaas oo aay ka heli doonaan talooyin caafimaad oo qof qof ah iyo jimicsiyo jidheed. Si loo yareeyo kalinimada ama cidlanimada, isla markaana kor loogu qaado fayo-qabka dadka waayeelka ah. Kala xirriir: 01612277966 ama info@sasca.org.uk

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