Will Youth Politicians Overcome The

Peace prevailing Somaliland, but for many young people this peace is hard to appreciate. Unemployment and lack of opportunities thrive and encourage dreams of better lives on the other side of the Gulf of Aden. In support of Somaliland’s youth the Danish Refugee Council has launched ‘Turning the Tide’ – a project offering vocational training and small grants as a means to stem increased migration.

By Alexandra Strand Holm Regional Information and Communications Adviser Danish Refugee Council Horn of Africa & Yemen

It is midday in the Somali capital, Hargeisa, in northern Somalia. A dry wind blows through the city, making people move around with their heads lowered, hiding behind scarfs and clothes to protect them from the mix of sand and air. The land is arid and barren. Greyishbrown is the color of the city and the landscape - the potholed roads, cars, houses, cows and goats–with alayer cementingall surfaces, including the homes scattered in the outskirts of Hargeisa. There, dusty shelter are made of everything from vintage clothing to tarpaulin and pieces of wood and tin – like the homes of many poor peoplein this part of the world.

Women’s scarves and some brightly colored clothes, a few green bushes and trees, along with countlessblue and white stray plastic bags, are the only color.

Dangerous dreams

Hargeisais not far from the coast, but a myriad of obstacles and a perilous journey are ahead for those who seek better lives on the other side of the Gulf of Aden.

-It doesn’t matter what others may say about the dangers of venturing out to sea to get across to Yemen and beyond. Most people here are only dreaming about finding work and ways of surviving, because life is difficult here, says Ahme Omar Ilyaas.

26-year-old Ahmed Omar Ilyaas knows what he’s talking about. In 2008, he set out on one of these trips, which cost many lives each year. A boat smuggled him and a larger group to Yemen. The trip was tough he recounts, and proves to be an experience that is difficult for him to talk about. The journey entails a story of harsh treatment and struggles without food or water for several days. It is for good reasonsthat this route is notorious and feared. Those who survive it bear witness to the ordeals and tell of true nightmares.

Passengers thrown overboard

Far from everyone survive the journey over the Gulf of Aden. Passengers risk being thrown overboard by the smugglers, if the authorities show up or there are any problems with the boat. It happens regularly, not least with the ramshackle ships often being filled to the point of bursting.

Regardless of warnings and bad experiences with the smugglers and shark infested waters, many young people still believe in the chance of a better life somewhere out there - far from the Somali dust, the unemployment and hopelessness. At times, smiles seem rarer here in Somaliland. Even thoughrelative peace prevails in Somalilandhaving escaped two decades of devastating civil war in South Central Somalia -and also largely the famine, threatening lives and having forced hundreds of thousands to flee.

Turning the Tide

Now, Ilyaas Ahmed Omar is trying to move into new directions. He is currentlyattendingtraining with one of the local NGOs in Hargeisaand hopes to improvehis employment opportunities in Somaliland. The training ispart of a series of initiatives launched through the Turning the Tideprogramme. The project has been created based on public fundraising in Denmark where, in January 2011, money was collected in a national campaign in support of youths in Africa.

At the time, the Danish Refugee Council’s idea to work with young people in Somaliland was new. Today, the project is realityand aims to encourage young men and women in Somaliland to abandon the idea of migration.

For the first time in Somali history, a youth festival was held in August 2011 tokick-off the Turning the Tide project. Later this year, there will be more similar events. Meanwhile,around 1,000 young people are offered trainings to improve their job opportunities and generally create more awareness about living conditions and possibilities in Somaliland. For some participants, it is a longawaited alternative to the perilous journeys through the Sahara or over the Gulf of Aden.