Somali Diaspora Corps

The Future We Are Creating

For the last 22 years of Somali civil war, hundreds of thousandths of Somalis fled out of Somalia to neighbouring countries and many ressetled in the West and the Arab world. This diasporic population is today estimated at around a million or more, making it one of the largest diaspora population around the world. This outflow of human capital for the last two decades is now one of the obstacles hindering the rebuilding process, since the most educated Somalis reside outside Somalia.

Somali Diaspora Corps was formed to solve this problem. We believe the lack of human capital should not be an issue in the rebuilding process. Somalia has the human capital needed to rebuild itself, in the form of its diaspora community. SDC main mission is to recruit and incentives the return of this diaspora community back to Somalia. First, we act as a link between Somalia and the diaspora community; by providing resources and a platform for those who want to temporarily or permanently return to Somalia. Secondly, we are actively recruiting volunteers, in the form of fellowships, to temporarily work in Somalia for a period of either three months, six months or upto a year.

How We Are Creating It

To accomplish our mission of returning the diaspora community back to Somalia, as volunteers to help in the rebuilding process, we will be offering them: A round trip airfare ticket to Somalia, a small living expense stipend while in Somalia and a placement in one of our partner organizations.

In addition, the volunteers we recruit will work in one of our four core projects: Project Health, Project Education, Project Development and Project Democracy. We believe these four projects are paramount in rebuilding Somalia to become a stable and prosperous nation. A brief outline of the four core project are below:

Project Health: This project will recruit volunteers in the health field (doctors, nurses, public health etc.) For our summer fellowship program, we will recruit college students studying health sciences to participate in this project. Fellows in this project will volunteer in hospitals and clinics across Somalia. They will also work to disseminate and teach good public health practices to the populations. This project has partnered with Banaadir Hospital which is located in Somali capital city, Mogadishu. This hospital is one the largest and oldest public hospitals in Somalia.

Project Education: This project seeks to recruit teachers and educator to teach mostly in the elementary, middle and high school levels. Anyone with a Bachelor’s degree will be able to participate in this project. It will also work with partners and other stakeholders to help create a standard viable educational system that will be implemented all across our partner schools. Our college summer fellows will participate under this project in the capacity of mentors by instilling the importance of education to students in Somalia. In addition, this project has partnered with the first think tank in Somalia, The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, by collecting and sending books to help in their efforts of creating libraries in Mogadishu and all across Somalia.

Project Development: This project will bring professionals and students in the field of entrepreneurship, development, business and economics together. Despite the issue of security, Somalia faces many other obstacles that are hindering development from occuring. Lack of education, equipment and capital for small businesses to start and grow are a few. In finding solutions to these issue, through our fellows, this project will provide resources and education, partner with other organizations working in the development field, start a micro-loan program to ensure small businesses are starting and growing, and thereby ending reliance from charity organizations. We are currently working to partner with Kiva.org.

Project Democracy: For the last 22 years of Somali civil war, a generation was born and raised in an environment that knew nothing else but conflict. Most of the younger generation living in Somalia do not understand the power and importance of one-man, one-vote. For Somalia to become and continue to be a peaceful and prosperous nation, this idea needs to be ingrained in every youngster’s heart, as they are the future and the next leaders of Somalia. The best people to connect and teach this democractic concept to the youths in Somalia are the Somali youths living in the diaspora, hence this project will especially recruit college students and recent graduates who have studied Government, Political Science, and other related educational fields. This project will also conduct workshops, training and civic education inside Somalia.

Our Story & Why You Should Support Us

My name is Yasin Ahmed Ismail, and I am a college senior of Somali ethnicity. For the last 21 years of my life, my homeland Somalia was engulfed in civil war that took away hundredths of thousands of lives, and displaced millions more. I was born a week after the civil war started, and since then, I have not enjoyed what a peaceful Somalia was. Last year the civil war in Somalia ended when a new permanent government was elected, and the rebuilding process began.

I do not consider rebuilding Somalia a passion of mine, but I consider it as a duty. I believe every generation has a responsibility to make the world we live in a better place. My parents generation had the responsibility to prevent, stop and end the civil war, but unfortunately it took them too long to do just that. I believe that my generation now has the responsibility to rebuild Somalia, so that the next generation can live in a peaceful, developed and prosperous nation.

Last week, I visited Somalia, Mogadishu specifically, for the first time to see for myself the devastation the civil war has caused and how to help rebuild the nation. When I arrived at the airport, I was a stranger not knowing anyone in the city, but in matter of hours, I felt as if I lived there for years, thanks to the hospitality and welcoming nature of the locals who were happy to see the diaspora returning. During this unforgettable trip, I learned and got to see what needs to be done, and in the process made sure to partner with organizations that will help reach our goal of rebuilding Somalia.

Supporting this cause will help rebuild vital sectors in Somalia, such as Health and Education, by bringing in educated members of the diaspora, and in the process provide services that will save lives and make this world a better place. An educated child, whether in Somalia or in the United States, is an asset. Your support will help us educate more children in Somalia, provide medical care to the sick, provide life changing loans and instill the value of democracy to the future generation.

Finally, your support will help me achieve my long-life dream, which is to see my homeland become a stable, democratic, developed and prosperous nation. A nation where you and I can freely enjoy its beauty.