Getting children off the streets in Somalia

World Today

Street kids are getting their first lessons in the new Mogadishu public schools.

Classes are under way in Mogadishu. These children are in school now, but it hasn’t always been the case. They’re all former street children who have been offered new opportunities – thanks to this boarding school supported by Somalia’s First Lady Zahra Oman Hassan.

“These young children have realized they can be useful members of society,” said Hassan. “They are now clean, ready to learn, and we take good care of them. That’s our mission here.”

Somalia's First Lady Zahra Oman Hassan

Somalia’s First Lady Zahra Oman Hassan

Many of the children here have tales of suffering to tell – of civil war, terrorism, and death. But today they’re a happy bunch.

For many years, these young children wandered in the streets of the capital. But now, this center in the capital is home to more than 270 former street children. And it’s not just a learning center, but a center that has transformed these young these former street children into normal school going children

The first lady says these children are the future of the country and its people. They were in the streets for a long time, and no one took care of them.

Now, they’re not just learning about school things – but also a little patriotism.