Somali students step up for refugee education

This dedicated group of Somali students are remembering their roots and helping more refugee children get the education they deserve.

As part of Somali Youth for Integrity (SYFI), these volunteers and students work tirelessly to support their fellow Somalis back home and in exile. Earlier this year, they partnered with UK for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency’s national charity partner in the UK, for their February Fundraiser – raising an incredible £40,000 towards UNHCR’s Educate A Child programme in Kenya’s refugee camps.

“A lot of us have family members, who’ve been through those refugee camps. It’s a huge part of all our shared experience,” says Hibo-Misky Mohamoud, Managing Director and Co-Founder of SYFI. “As first-generation Somalis in the UK, we felt like we had a duty to make a difference, reconnect with our motherland and help other Somalis who’ve not had all the chances that we’ve had. That’s why SYFI was set up in the first place.”

Hibo-Misky and her fellow fundraisers chose to support Educate A Child as part of SYFI’s Project EDEN – a multi-tiered fundraising campaign that also funded environmental development in Somalia and anti-violence campaigns in the UK. But the issue of education is particularly close to Hibo-Misky’s heart.

“Most of us at SYFI are students,” she points out. “We’re lucky enough to be getting an education. But we want other Somalis to be blessed with the same opportunities. Education is so important and can be a vital stepping-stone in empowering oneself and one’s community. It gives people power and freedom.”

UNHCR’s Educate A Child programme aims to get young refugees enrolled in school across Kalobeyei Settlement and the camps of Dadaab and Kakuma in Kenya. Thanks to SFYI’s efforts, funds were raised to help provide materials and educational support for the equivalent of over 3000 students.

“We are truly inspired by the efforts of SYFI to raise awareness and funds for UNHCR’s Educate A Child programme. Thanks to the SYFI team, thousands of refugee children will be able to access a quality education, bringing hope of building a better future for themselves and opening up new opportunities to develop and learn,” said Emma Cherniavsky, CEO of UK for UNHCR.

These are children who would otherwise be in danger of missing out on their education and their chance to make a better life for themselves. But in order to stop this happening, UNHCR are repairing dilapidated school buildings and providing new facilities where children can learn and play, as well as providing desks, uniforms and essential teaching materials and textbooks.

Teacher training is a particular focus of the project. And so too is tackling traditional gender inequalities around schooling – so that girls can stay in school longer, attend even when they’re menstruating and get the same opportunities in life as their male counterparts.

“We’re determined to help close the gender gap,” says Hibo-Misky. “After all, the four founding members of SYFI are strong black women – committed to seeing Somali girls succeed.”

She and her fellow fundraisers organised a wide range of events to raise money – from bake sales, comedy nights and panel discussions, to skydives, football tournaments and other sporting challenges. UK for UNHCR lent support by providing co-branded fundraising t-shirts and buckets, as well as online resources and content, social media promotion and speakers for some of the key events.

Somali Youth For Integrity members celebrating their fundraising success at their black-tie finale dinner earlier this year. 

The fundraising campaign included a black-tie finale dinner – held just before COVID-19 restrictions took hold – with around 400 guests from the Somali community, who travelled from universities across the UK and even from as far away as Australia. The evening included speeches from UNHCR representatives and others, a thank-you video from Ambassador Affey, UNHCR’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, and a big reveal of the total money raised.

“It’s wonderful to see how people are willing to come together to make a difference,” smiles Hibo-Misky. “We’re looking forward to working with UK for UNHCR again in the future and are coming up with some exciting new plans to help empower communities, young people and women.”

Special thanks to those who played a key role in fundraising for Educate A Child: Hibo-Misky Mohamoud, Dr Fatima Yussuf, Yasmin Omar, Dr Huda Khalif, Dr Abdul Elmi, Deeqa Abdirahman, Jibril Hassan, Mohamed Hersi, Sirad Arten, Bashir Mohamed.