A HELPING HAND FOR THE ......
W W W . D E S I G N F R E E B I E S . O R G
Learn a craft and get a loan In a house located on the outskirts of Hargeisa, education begins every morning in newly decorated classrooms and workshops. In some rooms students are taught to use sewing machines, other places young women are engaged in hairdressing and traditional beautification using henna for paintingmeticulous floral patterns. There is a need forsuch skills andfor some this course may be what it takes to finally open the door to jobs or business opportunities.
V I S I T
In a third room,hammering and hard work is part of the training to become an electrician. There is usually electricity in Hargeisa, but it is unstable and often difficult to get it to work. When it comes to both construction work and repair, electricians are in high demand. The group of young men knows this and seems to work even harder to learn the new skills. For most of them, this type of workisnew, but for all of them, it represents a dream of being able to support themselvesfinancially and to shape their own future.
F R E E B I E S :
When the trainings are over, the participants will be able to apply for a loan. They need to prepare a business plan and explain how they intend to use a financial grant to start up a small business based on their new skills. If only a few succeed, it may mean more jobs and better living conditions for others in Hargeisa.
M O R E
G R A P H I C
D E S I G N
Empowering youth 18-year-old HoodaAbdulahi has family members in Canada and Norwaywho went to Yemen and made their way from there. She herselfconsidered giving up on Somaliland and leaving the country. This plan has been put on hold for a while since she learned about the youth project and the offer of vocational training. To her, it was the tailoring classes that were the most appealing. She wanted to be among those learning how to usea sewing machine.
F O R
HoodaAbdulahiapplied for the project and she was admitted soon after. Now, she is engaged in the workshop during the week as her mother agreed to reduce her housework at home. Her mother is a widow with many mouths to feed. HoodaAbdulahi has 11 siblings. - It’s not that I do not want to help my mother at home, says HoodaAbdulahi, - but until now working at home has been my only option.
Growing up as the family’s maid has long been a hurdle for herto participate in activities outside the house. For years, commitments at home have kept her from learning new things and even meeting other people, getting an education and maybe even being lucky enough to get a job. HoodaAbdulahi has learned about the dangers of human trafficking and the risks related to engaging in journeys to Yemen or North Africa from television. Previously, it was a taboo and something rarely spoken of inHargeisa, but now campaigns informcommunities about the risks of migrating. The stories are told by people returning with gruesome stories about their ordeals andthose who did not make it through the desert or across the sea. Even with the short term training through the Turning the Tide project,HoodaAbdulahihas gained courage for the future. She hopes to find work soon, and even continue to work when she gets married. The women who are lucky enough to find jobs in Somaliland’s capital Hargeisa are in general not constrained by norms or traditions restrictingfemales from employment. Instead, the women’s struggle is related to gaining a foothold in the job market. Unemployment No accurate facts exist onthe scale of unemployment in Somaliland, but estimates rateseven out of 10 people as jobless. Prospects of unemployment and virtually no options form the reality and basisof everyday life for the majority of people in Somaliland. Further south, the situation is even worse. In South Central Somalia, ongoing conflict and the recent drought have affected millions of people. People have fled seeking refuge elsewhere in the region. In Hargeisa, drought is not felt as much as it is elsewhere in the Horn of Africa. Still,despite the relative peace and accessibility in northern parts of Somalia, many young people are trapped waiting for development and progress.
Most families in Somaliland have members who have traveled to Yemen or through the Sahara to the north, drawn by the dream of a better life far from the Horn of Africa. The dream is one of finding a place where labor is needed or where there could be a chance to move onwards, maybe even to Europe, USA or Canada.
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8 | S E P T E M B E R - DECEMBER 2 0 1 1 | VO L 1 | ISSUE 7 | CODKA DA’YARTA
