Garowe, Puntland (Feb 09, 2015)-Somali Family Services spearheaded an intensive community sensitization and Go to school advocacy campaign at Puntland Library and Resource Center in Garowe, Puntland. The advocacy campaign, with the catchphrase ‘Go to school, back to School, Stay in School’ mobilized government officials, teachers, students, community members and civil society to discuss the important role of each community member in promoting and providing access to education to out of school children with a lot of emphasis on the girl child.

The advocacy campaign covered live by SFS’s owned Radio Sahan, created a platform for the community members to engage with the panelists on how to increase the enrolment of girls and vulnerable children in school. Among the panelists were Mr. Ahmed Ali Shire,  Director General Ministry of Education and Higher Education; Miss Lul Jama Nur, Gender and Human Rights Director Ministry of Women Development and Family Affairs (MOWDAFA); Mr.Abdinasir Hirsi, Project and TVET Director Ministry of Education among others. Inadequate budget allocation to the ministry of education, poor enrolment of girls, solutions to improve girls’ enrolment, need for female role models, advocacy against early marriages and promoting creative arts to encourage students and nurture their talents were among the issues discussed.

The participants were excited about this campaign, “I have been waiting for such a campaign to send a message to my dad that I not only amount to a number of camels as a bride price but can contribute to development of my family and Puntland if educated.” Expressed Laila Ali.

The go to school campaign is one component of the Basic education for pastoralists funded by UNICEF whose objective is to contribute to the fulfilment of the rights of all children (with equal opportunity to girls and disadvantaged groups) in Puntland to quality, inclusive and equitable basic education services. Other components of this project include; construction and renovation of ABE centers, flexi timing and mobile schools for the pastoralists,  training teachers on pedagogical skills, establishing and building capacities of the Community Education Committees (CECs), establishing and supporting Child- Child clubs and provision of scholastic and educational materials in Garowe, Dangoroye and Burtinle. SFS implements all these activities under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Higher Learning.

In conclusion, the participants acknowledged that it is our responsibility as parents, brothers, sisters, neighbours, religious and traditional leaders, media and other civil society to ensure that each and every child has access to quality education if we want to progress as education is a crucial element in development.

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For more information, please contact Nafisa Abdirahman at nafisa.abdirahman@ussfs.org or visit www.ussfs.org.