(ERGO) – Three youth volunteers in Garowe in Puntland state of Somalia have been working hard to raise school fees to keep students from poor backgrounds in education.
Kaabe Relief, founded by Abdullahi Khalif, is supporting 75 students in primary and secondary schools with monthly fees, uniforms, and school stationery.
He and his partners conducted a survey to assess the students’ needs and to identify those who deserve a scholarship.
“We first started with five students. I first got this idea when I was at university in an innovation class, I thought to myself I need to give back to society the education that I was getting,” Abdullahi said.
Funds are sourced from local businesses and banks, and other well-wishers. Abdullahi himself sponsors a girl whose widowed mother cannot afford her fees. The members of the group contribute around $10 for each of their students.
“The biggest challenge is people promising to pay for someone’s education and not paying. Other challenges including drought and inflation which reduces the amount of money people are willing to give. We get worried when students go back to staying at home because we couldn’t get the funding,” he explained.
Amino Ahmed, a mother of seven, is happy that her eldest son has been sponsored to continue his education in grade five at Mohamud Aw-Osman school.
She said the volunteers initially visited her house in October 2019 during a survey and decided to support Shuyab Mohamud Abdi, then aged nine, who had been desperate to start school.
Since then, he has never missed out on school as Kaabe Relief has been paying his fees.
“We were lucky to get into this programme,” she said. “My son has received uniform, books and education fees.” Amino only had to contribute $3 for the examination fee. She is delighted that her son came third in his school.
“I have been working hard and that’s how I have improved. I want to make my mother proud and do even better in my education and eventually become a doctor,” Shuyab, 12, declared.
“He is really improving and I hope he gets even better and clinches the first position in his school. I feel very happy as if he’s already graduated from secondary school and got his certificate!” said his proud mother.
