Dilla-Borama road marked as the 2007 Awdal Convention's top priority project

[Jacaylbaro]

The convention held at Minneapolis on June 15-17, where several hundred persons gathered, was remarkable for its civility and decorum. The discussions proceeded seamlessly without a glitch. Credit goes to the organizers who put together a program that focused solely on the welfare and economy of Awdal region, Somaliland. The success of the gathering and the good feelings it generated paves the way for a follow up meeting next summer, hopefully, to be held in Ottawa, Canada, home of the largest Awdal community in north America, to assess the progress that has been made since the last convention and to discuss how best to move forward.

 

Conventioneers discussed the array of woes afflicting the inhabitants of the region and appointed a committee to methodically evaluate the main issues raised based on the degree of severity and probable achievability of a solution. As their press release this week indicates, the committee, reflecting the sentiments of the inhabitants of the region as well as the broader Diaspora communities, resolved that the most important task facing us is the need to raise funds to pave the Dila-Borama Road.

 

The 18-mile long route is the main artery to and from Borama, the regional capital. The roadway is rutted and worn out. The top soil was wiped away leaving holes and exposed rocks, which considerably accelerate the pace of tear and wear on vehicles, forcing drivers to struggle to negotiate with the rough road condition by driving at a snail pace of around 10 miles per hour. It takes 1 ½ hours to travel the 18 mile- distance, while it takes much less time than that to travel from Dila to Hargeisa, nearly three times longer. En route from Borama to Hargeisa, one goes through physical, emotional and psychological torture during the bumpy ride to Dila and a sigh of relief through the smooth sail during the rest of the trip from Dila to Hargeisa. It is a roller coaster, a constant painful reminder of the dire need to have the road paved. And the travelers through this road do not come from one section of the community, but from all, very indiscriminately.

 

The construction of this road will be very expensive. First a determination has to be made whether the new road will follow the route of the old road or whether portion of it will follow a new course. Rocks have to be cleared, sub-base of mainly sand be put to make elevation of the road a bit higher; sand is then compacted followed by asphalt or tar. Financial contribution from the Diaspora communities will be far from being sufficient, but it will act as the proof of the community’s commitment to fix the road and the basis for applying matching funds from prospective grantors.

 

During the past decade, the people in the region and those overseas worked hard together to promote education, founding the first university, and reviving elementary and intermediate education. Tangible progress was achieved in this area. Additionally, efforts were made to promote heath care through the opening of clinics and Amoud Foundation’s construction of general hospital now underway in Borama. The one area where nothing was done, and the hardship still continues, is the road under question. That is why there is such overwhelming sentiment to construct this road.

 

Raising funds for the road does not preclude other projects from being implemented in the region. Those who are involved , or are interested in new projects, have the right to pursue those goals , which have the welfare of the people at heart. But the magnitude and the large cost of the project demand that the collective efforts of the Diaspora communities be focused on, and all the funds raised be dedicated solely, until completion, to the road construction. The collective goal, as the press release indicated, must now be to do something about this road.

 

The Minneapolis convention opened a new chapter for Somaliland’s Awdal region, a highly organized effort to make difference in the lives of our people. The dedicated people who made the gathering a success and those serving in the new committee that will coordinate the fund raising campaign for the road deserve our thanks and gratitude.