(ERGO) – Two years after fleeing the drought-depressed rural areas of Mudug, where his livestock were dying, Omar Mohamed Hussein is now a trained electrician in Galkayo, earning enough to support his family back at home.
Omar, 30, completed a free training course offered by Galkayo Vocational Training Centre in July and is now working as an independent electrician providing services in houses and offices in the city. Besides the income, he noted that he has become self-sufficient and gained confidence in himself.
“There is a difference between now and back then when I didn’t have skills. Now I’m not working in a company, I work alone so my income fluctuates. This month I’m hoping to earn up to $1,200,” he said.
Omar, his wife and son moved to Galkayo in 2021 from Ba’adweyne, 30 kilometres from Galkayo. Most of their livestock perished in the drought.
“When the drought struck, my family had 600-700 goats, but now only 80 have survived. We had 60 camels but now there are just 20 left,” Omar reflected. “This skill has transformed our lives, it’s a big thing for my parents who now get an income from their child whom they sent to the city.”
When he moved to Galkayo he worked at first on construction sites where the money was poor and irregular. He seized the opportunity of the free electrical training course. He worked hard and undertook small electrical jobs for friends and neighbours to practise his skills whilst training.
He has been able to pay off his debts and sends money regularly to his family in the village.
Another successful trainee from the same course is Ahmed Ali Adan, 25, who moved 210 kilometres from Jarriban to Galkayo three years ago. His family sent him to the city hoping he could earn a living instead of sitting in the drought-induced misery in their village.
But without any relatives or help in Galkayo and very little income, he could not pay rent and utilities. Then he heard about the nine-month electrical training course, signed on, and completed it in June.
Now he works independently on contracts in residential and commercial sites, earning about $500 a month. This supports his impoverished family of 15 people in rural Mudug.
“I used to struggle to buy a cup of tea and had to ask people to buy it for me. I couldn’t buy what I needed but now I can. I divide my income, some goes to my parents and I save the rest for myself,” he said.
The vice-chairman of Galkayo Vocational Training Centre, Mohamud Abdirahman Kilwe, said 30 students completed the training, mostly rural men who were struggling in the city. He noted that they helped some of the students get jobs after the training.
“Most of the Somali people are pastoralists, most of those who took advantage of these opportunities moved to the city or were displaced by drought forcing them to live in the city. They became motivated and active with their studies because their family members counting on them,” he said.
The centre is supported by diaspora well-wishers and the Puntland government. It offers other courses as well for men and women including computer studies, tailoring, henna art, and carpentry.
