07/01/2021
"From the moment I was born, all I ever saw, heard, smelled and touched was abject poverty, but that did not stop me from being named amongst the top 100 students in Somalia. My name is Qasim, and I'm what you call an internally displaced person. I live with my parents in Garbaharey in Gedo and have been living here for quite some while. Going to school is not easy. As our refugee camp is on the outskirts of the city, it takes me a while to walk to school. I don't really mind the long walk to school, but my greatest challenge is crossing the riverbed when it floods because it obstructs my path to school. I mean, it's not nice to arrive in the classroom with wet, muddy shoes – it's really it's embarrassing. After school, I tend my family's sheep until dusk. Usually, my classmates do their homework and reading at night, but I am unable as we don't have electricity. So, what I do is wake up very early in the morning and make use of the early daylight to get some reading done before I head off to school. I'm glad it worked out, and my parents are so proud of me. I already promised them that one day I would make them happy by removing them from this poverty. But that all depends on how well I will do in higher education. Since I'm amongst the top 100 students in the country, I've been promised a scholarship to study at the university level. But now I've been told that there is a huge disagreement amongst the country's politicians that can jeopardise my chance to do well in life. Please don't let them take away my only chance to make it in life. I've really worked hard for it."
"Maanta ilaa maalintii aan dhashay waxaan ku nolaa kuna garaadsaday saboolnimo laakiin taasi ma noqon mid iga joojisa in aan ka mid noqdo 100 arday ugu kaalinta kowaad ka galay imtixaanka iskuulka Soomaaliya. Magacaygu waa Qaasim, waxaan kamid ahay dadka loogu yeero barakacayaasha dalka gudihiisa ku nool. Waxaan la noolahay waalidkay oon in muddo ah ku nool magalada Garbahaarey ee gobolka Gedo. Maadama aan ku noolahay kaamka qaxootiga ee ku yaala magaalada banaankeeda ma aha mid i fudud maalinkasta in aan u socdaalo iskuulka. Runti, waxba k**a qabo in aan u lugeeyo iskuulka lakiin dhibta ugu wayn aniga I haysta waa sidii aan uga gudbilahaa tooga si aan u gaaro iskuulka oo ku yaala dhanka kale togga, ma aha mid wacan in aad iskuulka timaado iyadoo dharkaagu qoyanyihiin kabahaaguna dhiiqo leeyihiin runtii waa mid laga naxo. Iskuulka markaan kasoo noqdo waxaan ilaaliya ariga qoyskayga ilaa wakhtiga la xaraynayo, hadana sida caadiga ah ardayda fasalka ila dhigata habeenkii ayey wax akhristaan, anigu nasiib uma yeelan mana awoodi karo taas maadama aanan haysan nal. Markaa waxaan sameeya in aan wakhti h**e tooso subaxii anigoo ka fa’iidaysanaya ilayska maalintimo si aan wax ugu akhristo ka hor inta aanan aadin iskuulka. Waxaan ku faraxsanahay in aan ku faa’iiday dedaalkaas waalidkayna waa igu faraxsanyihiin. Waxaan u balanqaaday waalidkay in aan maalin noqotoba ka dhigi doono kuwo ka baxa saboolnimada kuna noolaada farxad. In aan gaaro taas waa mid ku xidhan sida aan uga fa’iidaysto waxbarashada heerka jaamacadeed, maadama aan kamid ahaa 100 arday ugu sareeyey dalka waxaan helay balan qaad waxbarasho heer jaamacadeed oo bilaash ah. Hadana waxaa la igu yiri waxaa jira is faham waa u dhaxeeya madaxda dalka taasina waxay caqabad ku noqon karta sidii aan noloshayda waxbadan ugu qabansanlaha. Fadlan ha iga luminina wixii aan usoo dedaalay."
Somali Faces
