Saturday November 30, 2024
(ERGO) – The closure of a free school providing education to more than 300 children from displaced families outside Galkayo has dealt a blow to families living in camps.
Danwadag School was the only educational institution for children in the camps of Danwadag, Donyale, and Iid-Gadud.
Somali diaspora stopped the financial support they had been giving to the teachers six months ago. The school administration said the diaspora funding organisation the school depended on seems to have collapsed.
Saido Ali Hersi, a mother of six, had her three elder children studying in lower and middle primary grades, but they have been out of school for months.
“I was hopeful when they were studying, but now my hopes have fallen. A child who was studying and reaching for a bright future is not the same as one who has been pulled back and left without a place to learn. There is such difference between children who are learning and those who are not,” she said.
Saido’s family have lived in Donyale camp since moving there in 2021 during a severe drought that claimed their 130 goats in Saaho, Mudug region. They had hoped to receive assistance from humanitarian organisations and were encouraged by the opportunity for their children to receive free education. With the school now closed, the family faces additional hardships.
This single mother earns a meager income washing clothes in Galkayo and receives occasional support from relatives. Despite her efforts, she cannot afford to send her children to private schools, the nearest of which is three kilometres away.
“I can’t afford the school fees. It would cost $30 a month for the three children, and even then when they come home, they’ll need food. I can’t even manage our daily meals. We survive on a single meal if we can find it. That’s our reality,” she told Radio Ergo.
Saido suffered from an undiagnosed illness that left her bedridden for two months last year, during which she used up her small savings. She had been running a small vegetable stall in the camp but could not restart the business due to lack of money to invest.
Sadiyo Abdi Farah, another mother affected by the school’s closure, remains worried about her children’s future. Her family of 10 depend on her husband bringing home no more than $5 on the best days from jobs on construction sites. Her six children, who had been attending Danwadag School, are now at home.
Sadiyo’s family moved to the camp in 2022 after leaving Galkayo city, where the cost of living was very high. They were evicted from their house after failing to pay $200 in rent and chose the camp for its affordability and the free education available for their children.
“I was proud when they were going to school, wearing their uniforms and looking forward to learning. Now they’re just sitting at home, with no hope for the future. It’s painful to see them like this,” she said.
The school principal, Hersi Ali Ahmed, has been working to find a solution but faces significant challenges. The recent rains damaged the school’s three metal-sheet classrooms. One classroom has already collapsed, and the other two are at risk of falling.
He said they will continue to fight for the education of the children, even if it takes years. The school had been operating for three years to provide education to children from displaced families.
“The school needs to be rebuilt, whether by the government, a humanitarian organisation, or the diaspora. It needs repair and the teachers must be paid. We need to ensure the children return to school and the community’s support is essential,” he said.
Parents in the camps have tried to pool resources to pay the teachers themselves but have been unable to raise sufficient funds. For many, the loss of the school is a devastating setback, not just for their children’s education but for their hopes of breaking the cycle of poverty.