Success Story!!

Mahamoud Abdi Sheikh Ahmed of Gabiley, Somaliland, attends the Rotary Center at the University of Bradford, England, where he has just finished studies an MA in conflict resolution as the first Somali Rotary World Peace Fellow. He was a team leader with the Norwegian Refugee Council in Somaliland, which provides basic education to children of displaced families. Sh.Ahmed’s own childhood was interrupted by inter-clan violence, forcing his family to flee to Ethiopia. Sh. Ahmed could not go to school until at the age of 14 because of the conflict. He attended his first primary class at Aw- Barre Refugee camp.

Thirsty for Education, he wanted to go to class all day. After normal school finished in the morning,

he used to go four more classes every afternoon. After four years of studying around the clock,

he eventually returned to Borama, and joined the first University in Somaliland, earned his first degree from Amoud Univerity in 2003; became a teacher and manager and newscaster of a local TV station. Since then he studied Journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the USA, and International Development Studies from University of Oslo, Norway before Bradford.

He now uses that background to give presentations promoting peace. “Twenty years of civil war have torn Somalia apart and all Somalis have become victims. I believe the conflict resolution and peace building skills I have learned at Bradford will help me contribute to the future prospects of my country,” Sh.Ahmed says.

As part of the two-year peace fellowship,Sh.Ahmed completed a research project in Sri Lanka on conflict and its effect on communities. He plans to carry his insights back to Somalia, stating that the key to achieving peace and happiness in our world is “respecting, recognizing, and accepting our difference[s].”

Source  Sawnews.tk