Somali mother sets up center to help the homeless

Sunday, April 27, 2014

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Years of conflict have had terrible effects on Somalia’s children. Many have lost their parents and ended up the streets. One Somali mother from the diaspora has set up an orphanage to help them and people with disabilities.

Hundreds of orphaned children live in the streets of Mogadishu, taking shelter in abandoned buildings and often abuse drugs. This centre though has now become a refuge, a place where street children can call home. The centre holds more 200 children.

Halima Mohamed, a mother of 10 came back from the diaspora to reach out to orphans and the homeless children of Mogadishu.

Somalia’s long conflict had heavy toll on children; they were killed and maimed, and thousands left on the streets and in IDP camps. For now though, it’s mothers like Halima who are making the difference for them

Here, they receive basic read and write lessons, and at times Halima becomes their teacher.

Somalia has since 2007 been in the United Nations list of countries that recruit children for combat. But centres like this one gives them hope for prospects of better future.

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