Fulfilling the goals of shiny college students by means of the Hormud scholarship program

Fulfilling the dreams of bright students through the Hormud scholarship program

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Adnan Mohamed Ibrahim, 24, comes from a modest family of 11. His father died when he was only four years old. Despite the difficulties encountered in feeding her family, Adnan’s mother struggled to pay her child’s school fees for nearly 20 years, but ultimately could not on her own afford the fees to have him. go to college.

While the challenges that prevailed in his hometown of Luuq in the Gedo region, about 400 km west of Mogadishu, remained unfavorable to him and other students like him, Adnan showed perseverance and determination. dedication to his studies, thus successfully completing his primary education in his hometown.

In 2016, he moved to Mogadishu to continue his high school education, doubling his hard work and commitment to his studies. Therefore, he succeeded brilliantly in being ranked among the top five graduate students in 2019. He went on to win a Chinese government scholarship awarded to the top performing students. But his dreams were shattered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented him from making his dream trip to China to begin his university studies.

Dismayed, Adnan returned to his hometown of Luuq where his mother and siblings still lived. After idling around the city for a good year, he heard about the Hormuud scholarship through the Hormuud Salaam Foundation. After enrolling, he emerged among the 30 academics who managed to join local universities to pursue the courses of their dreams.

He is now in his third semester of agricultural studies at Zamzam University in Mogadishu.

“I lost all hope of continuing my studies when all my aspirations were gone one after the other. I was worried about my future and where I was going to end up. Imagine returning to your mother’s house after all your hopes for further education had faded, and the only option left was to join your struggling family and put a greater burden on them. My mother did everything to raise me like a child without a father despite the obstacles that life put in his way, ”said Adnan, recounting the difficult life he lived as a child.

“I grew up in an agricultural region where most of the livelihoods of the people depend on agriculture, and my dream is to give back to my people and transform their lives for the better by introducing them to modern farming skills after graduated from university, ”he said. Noted.

The Hormuud Salaam Foundation launched its scholarship program in 2019 with the aim of sponsoring and helping aspiring but needy students who cannot afford to pay for their higher education. Over 25 percent of beneficiaries are orphaned children who have lost a mother or father. 16% are needy students who live with parents who cannot afford to pay for their university studies. 23% of scholarship recipients come from households where mothers in difficulty are the only breadwinners, while 9% come from families who depend on parents for their survival.

“Mothers who have raised their orphaned children in difficult conditions and invested in the future of their children’s education through thick and thin have high hopes that one day their children would transform their fortunes, hence the responsibility. of society to achieve the aspirations of these mothers. The Hormuud – Salaam Foundation recognizes such a responsibility, hence our scholarship program to reward such a group of people, ”said Abdullahi Nur Osman, director of the Hormuud Salaam Foundation.

“We are committed to saving many brilliant minds in society and rekindling their hopes by giving them access to the education they desperately need; we aim to contribute to the production of a competent and educated young generation who can help both the people and the country, ”he added.

It is worth mentioning the possibility for academics to pursue their chosen fields in university, regardless of the expenses and duration of studies.

Sadaq Ahmed Abdulwahid is in his fifth semester at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Mogadishu. The firstborn of five siblings, he is one of the beneficiaries of the Hormuud scholarship program. His father died while he was in the process of submitting his application for admission to the scholarship.

“I graduated from high school during a difficult time in my life when my father was on his deathbed in the hospital. I was so worried about how I could help my mother earn money for the family and had no hope of continuing my education, ”he said.

According to Sadaq, one of his high school teachers encouraged him to apply for the Hormuud scholarship. As his mother continues to provide for the family only, he is hopeful that he will soon take up his responsibilities and relieve her of the burdens she carried on his shoulders for many years.

The Somali Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education praised the procedures applied to select the scholarship winners, noting that the system was structured in such a way as to encourage and recognize the hard efforts. by the bright but needy spirits of society.

Presiding over the opening of the third year qualifying examinations, the director of the Ministry of Higher Education declared:. It is a worthy program that relieves the burden of low-income parents and contributes to the production of professional academics who can play a positive role in the development of the country, ”he added.

This year, up to 36,143 students, including 22,308 boys and 13,835 girls, took the national secondary examination, according to the director general of the Ministry of Education, Mohamed Aabbi Hassan. This year’s exam registrations saw an increase of 3,000 students over last year.

Tuition fees for art faculties in different Somali universities vary between US $ 40-50, while medical tuition is up to US $ 120; an unaffordable expense for many students from poor families.

Each year, 100 students benefit from the Hormuud scholarship program with a plan to expand the program to cover the educational needs of many aspiring students.

AXADLETM

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