Having Positive attitude and high self esteem makes you a warrior:



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“If you have a goal to reach you don’t have to be sensitive of what others have to say about you or your clan, you should acquire hard-work and patience and nothing will stop you from reaching your dreams and desires. As long you are a Somali native living within this community you should bear whatever they say about you or your clan and not to feel bad, because God created us equal and nobody is superior from the other except those who obey him fully and follow Allah’s obligations.” Councilor-woman Farhia Hersi said.



Farhia Hersi – a single mother of nine kids, seven daughters and two sons, originated from one of the marginalized groups in Somalia because of her hard-work and commitment, she can be a real role model to many women around the world who wants to be successful.



She graduated high school in Mogadishu in 1985, joined Academic Jalla Si’ad and after one year got a scholarship and joined collage of health in Jeddah Sa’udi Arabia in 1987. After graduation she worked as a nurse in some clinics and hospitals in Sa’udi Arabia, and later on joined the printing press of the exams for the collage of girls in Jeddah and worked there for three years.



Coming back to Somalia in 2000 wasn’t that easy, she faced many problems as she was a single mother, having to raise all these kids all alone and had no financial support from anyone else.



Farhia joined Galkaio Education Center for Peace and Development – based in Galkaio, Somalia as a teacher and after sometime became one of the supervisors; also received trainings on women’s empowerment from the center which helped her overcome her barriers.



Farhia believes that been committed hard-worker and having positive attitude with patient makes you reach your goals.



“I have faced many problems and had so many barriers to overcome but if I quit who will be the role model for our young generations.”



Describing the difficulties she face everyday while performing her job she says: “We have got a difficult culture who believes that women can’t represent the clan, but I have to bear with it everyday, been a councilor I am representing the rest of the community especially women, it affects me both being a woman as well as been originated from one of the marginalized groups.”



One of her daughters once tried to be a drop out from school because of the other students’ abuses and bad tongue for her clan and she told her: “wherever you go you still belong to that clan, but the only way you can defeat them is whenever they start talking about your clan tell them I belong to this clan and you belong to that one, no one is superior than the other except for those who fully obey their Lord and that is what our religion commands us, if you want to criticize me of being a dull or ugly well let’s see if I am but this is my clan and everybody belongs to a clan and I am proud to be from them”. Now she is in form four.



Because of the isolation these marginalized groups face within the community she established centers for them and called the educated ones from this clan to teach and be a role model to the rest of the community.



She is the founder and CEO of Women and Child Development Organization, a member and one of the founders of Mudug Child Protection Network, chairperson of Mudug Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Network, founder of the Minority Center and once been the Principal of that school, member of PDRC’s (Puntland Development Research Center) Working Group for the Democratization pillar, member of Mudug Drought Committee, been a councilor at district level between 2008 till 2009 and currently reached up to regional level and a member of the council’s permanent committee, all these networks are based in Galkaio, Puntland Somalia.



Farhia believes that carrying awareness raising for the community will help to let go of the stigma related to this clan.



“It’s just because of been ignorant why people always keep dishonoring these people if they get enough awareness raising and trainings they will consider them as equal members of the community.”



Farhia says: “All women everywhere in this world share one common thing and that is they have been considered as subordinates, men should encourage and participate in women’s empowerment and consider them as their other half”



Farhia has two plans for the community to fulfill in the near future. One is to establish a Nursery School as there are no such schools here, and the other one is to establish a huge beauty salon center for those young girls who are spread everywhere.



As she describes what made her think of establishing these two centers she says:



“I want to establish a Nursery School for young kids between three to five years. Their parents go to work and leave them behind; they grow up as if they are street children who never received parental care.”



“Having such schools will solve most of our problems, when they grow up they are educated, have received parental care, and been trained how to live with the rest of the community and respect them. Their mothers won’t worry leaving their kids behind and they will enjoy with the company of their teachers and age-mates”.



She is also planning to establish a huge beauty center for young girls and educate them as well, these include those who got married at early age and been divorced, or widowed, or those whose husbands left and has nowhere else to go.



“These girls face many problems as they don’t have anyone to take care of them, they might turn to become prostitutes because of the odd jobs and the difficult times they face.”



Currently, she pursues a Community Development course at Puntland State University in Galkaio, Somalia and everybody in the community admires her commitment and hard-work.

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