International Development Division : IDD
July 2006
The Story of Najmo and Her Family
IRI radio programs changing family lives in Mogadishu
Najmo is an eight-year-old girl who lives with her parents in the Hodan district in Mogadishu. She is in first grade and until recently attended Al Imra School. Najmo’s parents were very worried about their situation; their relatives live close to the battlefield in Somalia's onging internal violence. Najmo’s father said, “Many people have been killed and hundreds wounded, most of them civilians, in the latest round of fighting. . . Thousands fled their homes. We have nowhere to go…we don’t have enough food…May Allah help us.”
Mariam, Najmo's aunt, is suffering too. “I have fled from northern Mogadishu," she said. "Now the fighting has affected me in the south. So I would prefer to go back home since there is no safe place in the city. This area is like a hell. I used to sell fuel for cars, but my heart is shaky because of what I saw and what happened to my son," Mariam exaplained. Her youngest child was killed by mortar fire. She added, “Now I want to check whether our house was looted or not or was destroyed by stray mortars or artillery.”
Najmo is among those fortunate few Somali students who had access to school, but since more intense fighting erupted in Mogadishu, she hasn’t had the chance to attend her school. All schools were shut down and children were not allowed to go out due to the fighting. Fortunately, Najmo’s family has a radio at home.
Learning Continues Despite Instability
Najmo knew the broadcasting hours of the Interactive Radio Instruction program at her school and started asking her parents to tune in to the IRI radio lessons for her every morning, so she was able to listen to her lessons at home. She said, “I like the radio lessons too much because I learnt many lessons without going to school. I am happy now, but I truly hate the fighting. I am scared about the bullets…it is not getting stopped.”
“My daughter is all morning busy with the radio programs. She has great enthusiasm for these radio programs and made us also love the program," her mother enthused. "I really wondered how fast she memorized the lesson stories and songs. My daughter is intelligent!”
Reaching Beyond the Classroom
Najmo's father explained, “She asks me questions about her lessons and she required us to listen to the radio programs with her every day and answer her questions. We all thank those who prepared these effective radio programs for our kids. In fact, these programs don’t only influence the children in class but also their families and the whole community in general. IRI is a great opportunity!”
SIRIP (Somali Interactive Radio Instruction Program) segments are broadcast by EDC five times per week via shortwave radio, and reach Somali populations across the Horn of Africa. The program is made possible through support from USAID.
For more information about this project, contact Kit Yasin at kyasin@edc.org or Abdoul Houssein at ahoussein@edc.org.
IDD is a division of Education Development Center (EDC), an international, nonprofit organization with more than 325 projects dedicated to enhancing learning, promoting health, and fostering a deeper understanding of the world.
© 2009 Education Development Center