Burco Duurey: New school restores hope

[Suldaanka]

New school restores hope

 

As is the case with just about every family in the village, Mapsut’s parents did not have the means to send her far away to school in the Somaliland capital of Hargeisa. Only a handful of children from Burao-Durey have ever attended school.

 

Mapsut has not seen many doctors during her lifetime but on the few occasions one has visited her village, she was mesmerized by their ability to help the sick.

 

“I would like to be a doctor and help my people when they are sick,†she says simply.

 

In the local language, Mapsut means “happiness†and now, at last, she has reason to be happy – Burao-Durey has a brand new school.

 

 

Completed towards the end of 2005, Burao-Durey Primary School serves four villages and accommodates more than 225 children. Funded by A Glimmer of Hope Foundation and implemented by its partner in Somaliland – Hope for the Horn – the school consists of eight classrooms and two pit latrines.

 

After just three weeks of lessons, Mapsut had already learned the alphabet.

 

“In the past, I was blind but now I see,†she said.

 

During regular class times, Mapsut and her classmates are taught to read and write in the local language (Somali), mathematics, English and Arabic.

 

After they go home, it’s the adults turn. Adult education classes are proving immensely popular among those who never got the opportunity to go to school when they were young.

Kaltun Osman is a 50-year-old mother of five. Back in the 1970s, there was a war going on in this part of the country and she missed out on going to school because her parents feared for her safety.

 

Asked why she would start going to school now, she replied: “In our village we have nothing; we have no property except for our camels and goats. And, this year we have lost almost all of them. What else can we do? If we sit at home we have nothing to gain – we’ve got to go to school and learn new things.â€

 

The Burao-Durey Primary School is the first education center to be built in this part of Somaliland near the Ethiopian border and it has already become a focal point for the entire community. It is more than just a school; it is also a meeting place for the community and a hub for their discussions on community affairs.

 

Two young teachers have been assigned to the school by the regional government and both are recent graduates of the only teacher-training institute in the region. The school is one of 10 primary schools constructed in the region with funds provided by A Glimmer of Hope.

 

Despite the devastating drought and utter destitution that prevails in the area, Burao-Durey’s inhabitants are experiencing a rare mix of new emotions – flourishing optimism against a history of bitter disappointments.

 

Among them is Mapsut. For the first time in her life, she is daring to dream that her selfless ambition to become a doctor may just become a reality.

 

[N.O.R.F]

Thanks for the piece Suldaanka, hope it inspires all Somalis to contribute something.

[General Duke]

Wonderful post indeed. Thanks for that

[Qandalawi]

Great inspiring news from home, enuf of the descouraging one.

 

Nice Suldaanow

[Taleexi]

Indeed it was newsworthy article, Suldaan thanks for the piece.

[Khalaf]

“I would like to be a doctor and help my people when they are sick,†she says simply.

 

MashaAllah. Education is the best way to led somali out of her darkness. May Allah help those people who sacfrice to help others-noble work indeed.