Somaliland: Kicking around peace

[Jacaylbaro]

Under the scorching mid-day sun in the Baki district of Somaliland, a group of boys in white and yellow uniforms hustle back and forth across the field. They are covered in sweat, but have smiles on their faces. With practised precision, the football is passed back and forth between the opposing sides. On this day, the Abokorcadawe team is pitted against the Old Baki team. A heated, well-coordinated defence appears to foil all scoring attempts until finally Old Baki finds a hole in Abokorcadawe’s defence and scores a much-deserved goal - the entire crowd of onlookers erupts in applause. At the end of the day, however, Abokorcadawe would go on to beat Old Baki by a score of three to one. As evidenced by the smiling faces of the children of Baki, this sort of fair competition must be encouraged for the continued development of Somaliland - and hopefully, for the healing of Somalia in general. What sounds like a normal football match on any given weekend is in fact quite extraordinary in a place like Somalia. For close to 20 years, children have been caught in a vicious cycle of man-made and environmental disasters. As a consequence, many children eat barely enough food each day to sustain them. On 18 May, Somaliland celebrated its 20th year of self-declared independence from the rest of Somalia. Though most of the rest of Somalia is mired in civil conflict, Somaliland has made significant strides towards establishing its own government institution and providing security to its population. In June 2010, Somaliland residents elected their third president in peaceful, fair elections. World Vision Somalia is playing an active role in helping this peaceful enclave meet the basic needs of its people. In Baki Town, child protection programming supported by World Vision Australia has helped establish children’s support committees, children’s clubs and the rehabilitation of an abandoned school facility to serve as a Child Recreation Centre. Four to five days a week 100 boys and 80 girls take part in after-school sports activities at the centre. It is in places such as the Child Recreation Centre in Baki where young women and men learn how to work as a team and resolve conflict amongst themselves. This is where the next generation of Somaliland leaders is being trained.