Better Day and Future for Somalia’s Children (Fall 2012)
Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa and was colonized by British and Italy. In the last 20 years there has been uncontrollable violence that has caused millions to die or leave their home and land. Somalia’s children lack education due to this civil war. According to Lee and Farah, “Education can provide structure and Stability for children who have been traumatized by war” (91).The level of violence was so high that people dead each day. The environment is so dangerous that children can’t go school or be safe on the streets. Today Somalia’s people lack education, homes, and basic safety. Some of the blame for Somalia’s current disaster can be traced to colonialism, but some must be blamed on dictators in Somalia. A plan needs to be developed to the stop any more weapons coming to country and to recover all weapon from people so the government will have control again. Somalis need feed food and to meet their basic need before they can build trust between leaders and citizens in Somalia. Post Colonialism, dictator leadership and no any kind government has left Somalis children of today without any form of education or future to build on for tomorrow.
Somalia’s problem today
Since the fall of dictator Barre in 1991, have turned Somalia into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.In Somalia today People are armed so everyone do what they want to do by stealing and killing because people are without law. Basically strong people dominate the weaker people and the government can't do anything about because the citizens have unauthorized of weapon. “Violence has killed at least 21,000 civilians since the start of 2007”; according to a local human rights group. Due to problem people are so poor that they do basic meals.
So there isn’t any money there, people are hunger so that cause people lose their mind. Also people do not believe their leader because of the sum of bad experience dictator leadership in post if present leaders tend to ask help from developed country rebuild Somalia, their people would trust them. Although some of people are trying to started strong government but with everyone having weapon no one what listen to any one. In 2007 UN says more than 320,000 Somalis have fled fighting in Mogadishu since February. Also Hundreds of people are reported killed after several days of fierce clashes in the capital.
The commotion of Drugs and violence in any neighborhood can cause big disaster in the people lives. According to Bhui says “8,723 Somali combatants to assess their use of khat and other drugs [4]. In total, 36.4% (99% confidence interval, 19.3%–57.7%) of respondents reported khat use in the week (2). article explore this ideal, any ordinary person in a poor neighborhood can’t have any success because violence in the neighborhood and getting bad influences by bad environment violence in any neighborhood, Young teen seeing the wrong way that the drugs dealer making easy money without working hard and so they do not bother going to the school or fellow the right path to get money.
Colonial History in Somalia
Somalia was one of the many Africans countries that colonized by Europeans. Europeans stared showing some interested Somalia during the nineteenth century, according to Sayce. The interest began with an exploration by British adventurer Sir Richard Burton in 1854(185). So they come in take over the country. When colonized by British, they gave away some of Somali land to Ethiopia and caused a lot fights between of them. The cause of today’s problems is the colonialism that happened a long time ago. Because of that the country has been without a government to control the people, basically the British destroyed came and the native government, then left without learning a good government behind. There are multiple event cases for the current is in Somalia. Somalia was invaded by many countries because, as Robert says the demographic location was perfect for trading between continents; so very countries wanted to control that piece of treasures and keep to their self. So Somali’s land was separated into five small parts. Those invaders made Somalia’s people live harder to live. In 1899, the “Robin Hood” of Somalia decided to something about colonialism. Hess and Robert say he was an Islamic teacher as known as Muhammad Abdullah Hassan; who was born in the year 1856 and died year 1920,known to the British as "the Mad Mullah " ( Hess and Robert 418). later Somalia has declared their independence from Italy in 1 July 1960 and that was the end of colonialism in Somalia.
Dictatorship leader
After colonialism has ended in Somalia, when Somalia finally seems taking step toward future they take step backward. Somalia has suffered a massive pain under leadership of Siad Barre1988. The president’s leadership was so bad that his own military from his own clan has fight up against him. Since the fall of dictator Barre in 1991, Somalia has tried to appoint new president for country, but has fail again and again. There were new issue leaders divided in two and they disagreed on forming a central government for Somalia, and civil war began.
Education Problems
Education is important to us not just to have a good life for an individual or family or help any other human, but because having the knowledge to know between wrong and right. Many Africa countries lack this off because they are uneducated .Ali A. Abdi is a successful Somali-Canadian sociologist and education. He is the authors of “Education in Somalia: History, Destruction, and Calls for Reconstruction”, an article that explains how important is education to everyone. Who believe this “Everyone has the right to education, and education shall be free, at least, in elementary and fundamental stages” (Abdi328). He shows thoroughly the effect of not having education in Somalia.
Abdi explains in depth the problem of young people in poor neighborhoods who need supports from schools but often do not get them. He said “Since the collapse of the Somali state in January 1991, Somalia has been a country without any level of organized systems of learning” (Abdi327).Somali children can't read or writing anything and it feel like if they are useless person just there without any propose to live for it.
Although Abdi may be partly correct that lock of education is a problem he put far too much responsibility on the colonial, but some must be blamed by today's leaders in Somalia. Lack of education in Somalia lead the civil war that going for last 2 decade. People in Somalia don’t know why they fight yet they kill themselves every day. If those people were educated wouldn't waste their lives with war, but they would build a better life for themselves. If the youth were in school then they would have no reason to fight and would have a sense of
Home
The definition of home is a place where one lives. Early in the morning, the line for the restroom is already full; this is life of people who lived refugee camp each day. Well folks, there are many people who lose their homes every year in Somalia. The violence is so high people die each day and they had to go in a refugee camp for safe. “I got married here to another refugee and have two children. Life here is not easy” (Albert, 75). People has lost direction of home; now days the fight has turn to inter and intro clan rivalry and fighting. As long as this problem is not solved, peace will not be usual, in Somalia. “They came into my house and cut out my sister’s eyes and then cut off her head...when I saw this, I could no longer stay,” (Albert73).So the question comes why we care about? This is for helping out the worst humanitarian crises in the history before one race disappear from face of earth. Everyone would like to have that special place call home; a place that keeps them comfortable without having to worry about losing it to banks or rental owners. “I came to Yemen and then traveled to Jeddah [Saudi Arabia] to find work. I was arrested and sent back to Somalia” (47).People are so poor that they don't have the basic meals. So there isn’t any money there, people are hunger so that cause people lose their mind.
Ideological and mistrust
The Somalia people have stopped believing in government. First they had a dictator. Since the fall of dictator Barre in 1991; Somalia has tried to appoint new president for country, but has fail again and again because some people believe that any new president will turn be some as formal dictator like president Barre. So people are afraid to believe in their government and now the people power they having hard time let it go. .For example the governments were corrupted in post, they are doing something they should not do, then journalist see these things that government doing then journalist going to report to people. Government put them in jail or does something else to journalist, because journalist talked about government.
Now people in there are armed so everyone do what they want to do by stealing and killing because people are without law. Basically strong take advantage of the weak and the government can't do anything about because the citizens have unauthorized of weapon. Also people do not believe their leader because some of leaders in Somali tend to ask help from developed country rebuild Somalia, but when the leaders got what they asked for they tend to keep.
Clans
One other ideological of Somali’s people believe in clans more than they believe in the government that cause was for many year was which clan should control Somalia and which clan is better than other clan . Abdi is the authors of “Education in Somalia: history, destruction, and calls for reconstruction”, an article that explains how Somalia was effect badly the civil war between clans. They believe one clan is better than other clan .This has turn Somalia into a Place where there is fighting most of the time. A place where people are felling afraid from each other and Places where people are getting killed because of different political groups and different clans or tribes. A place that people lose their lives something that is useless, something that does not make sense to others, or something that is not a reason to kill someone.
Differences ideological between the Transitional Federal Government and the Islamic leader are current issue disaster of Somalis. First, the Islamic believes that they should control Somalis because due to high rate of religion being part of Somalis culture. Most Somalis culture is based on Islamic culture. So the Islamic leaders believe that they will have better chance of turn Somalia round is better a place to life .On the other hand, the Transitional Federal Government believe they should control Somalia like modern countries and also the Islamic leaders didn't help out the people for last decade so they lost their chance to help out the country. So why when the government wants to help out country than all sudden when the Islamic leader has high interest help the country now when someone else is helping.
Solution for Somalia
First of all before we take any step toward improving education we must feed the people who hunger. Some of my children sell nuts in the street to earn some money (Heger 418). They can’t afford to send them to school. Second the important of responding to the nonacademic needs of students and community. This kind of issues so important responded first if the government really want help the schools to perform better then review years because everyone expect the students to perform well in the school and focus in the class but they can perform well if they have sick sibling at the home that their parents’ can take them to hospital because they don’t have healthcare plan. Some students even don’t have basic supplies to go the school.
Third now build quality school for Somalia children. According to Abdi; age 15 and over can read and write total population, 37.8%Male: 49.7%Female 25.8% (2001 EST.). One thing to thin about while improve schools was having after school programs and having tutors help each student because no every understand what they learn from the class so having one else to make sure they do. And giving supplies that the schools need to succeed and having transportation for the student so they can go to the school each day.
In conclusion
Somalia is country in need but they don’t know how to ask it. Somalia’s people are in war itself for Last 20 years and nobody this heart more than Somalia youth. “Somalia’s children are actually being denied their right to one of the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the declaration” (abdi 338). The lack of education has left Somalia's children with no purpose or resources. Plus a lot of higher paying jobs today are requiring having higher education, most of people wanted to have higher paying a job because they want to have good life and to be able to offer to have a family in future. Somalia people need to stop puts a lot of responsibility on colonial, and stop to neglect the role of government in motivating their people. Something government do not do their work in the country and help the people to do better in the life. According to lee at present, there is no coherent educational system in Somalia (17).The people should blame the government, not something happened long time ago because the government who failed to put good system to help their people. Today Somalia’s people lack education, homes, and basic safety. Some of the blame for Somalia’s current disaster can be traced to colonialism, but some must be blamed on dictators in Somalia
So it is not like that the parents are quitters and the parents just accept their faith and they didn’t tried do anything to chance for the future of their kids, but assume that no parents want for their children bad future but any parents want opposite for their children they even migrate one place to another in such wise, they could make connections to people can help them with problem. So for this reason i assume that the teachers and the schools are responsible because they don’t do their work in the class and help the students to do better in the school.
Sources
- Abdi, Ali A. "Education in Somalia: history, destruction, and calls for reconstruction." Comparative Education 34.3 (1998): 327-340. Academic Search Alumni Edition. EBSCO. Web. 4 dec 2012.
- Oldfield, Edward C.,III, Guénaël R. Rodier, and Gregory C. Gray. "The Endemic Infectious Diseases of Somalia." Clinical Infectious Diseases 16., Supplement 3. Endemic Infectious Diseases of Somalia (1993): pp. S132-S157. Web.
- Hess, Robert L. "The 'Mad Mullah' and Northern Somalia." The Journal of African History 5.3 (1964): pp. 415-433. Web.
- Webersik, Christian. "Differences that Matter: The Struggle of the Marginalised in Somalia." Africa: Journal of the International African Institute 74.4 (2004): pp. 516-533. Web.
- "Somalia." Canada & the World Backgrounder 76.1 (2010): 58-59. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Nov. 2012.
- Bhui, Kamaldeep, and Nasir Warfa. "Drug Consumption in Conflict Zones in Somalia." PLoS Medicine 4.12 (2007): e354-1866. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec 2012.
- Ian, Fisher. "August 13-19; Somalis Form a Government." New York Times 20 Aug. 2000: 2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 Nov. 2012.