From Idleness to Empowerment: How Omar Transformed His Life Through New Ways’ Skills Training

Omar Hassan Ahmed, a 19-year-old able-bodied youth lived in IDP in Wadajir District since the family moved from their rural home 6 years ago. He dropped out of school before moving to this camp and continued living with his family even after becoming an adult. Omar did not acquire any skills to enable him access available employment opportunities in the city for those days. This rendered him jobless. He narrates how the family  members (him included) depended on relief food and money raised by his mother and two of his sisters through daily street begging. He says he could hardly contribute to the family’s daily subsistence and always felt he was a liability to the household.

According to his narrative, he once tried to become a porter in Bakara market, but could not raise money to buy with a wheel-burrow. Many unskilled male youth in Mogadishu work as porters while able bodied female youth work as housemaids. After six years of idleness, he says a team comprising of camp committee members and New Ways staff visited their home asking his mother to have either him or one of the daughters enrolled with the skill training, which was due to, start. After the team gave the necessary details, she asked him to enroll with the training of which he did.

Omar took electricity course and performed quite well in acquiring the skill. Omar is one of those trainees who benefited from NWO’s skill training centre in Wadajir District supported by WFP who are now using the acquired skills after securing a job with one of the companies supplying electricity in the city. When New Ways field team visited him connecting power to one of the houses in Mogadishu, he said, “Sincerely I lack words to express my gratitude and appreciation to all whom, in one way or the other, participated in my acquiring of this useful skill, which today helps me earn living. At least I am now able to place food on the table for my family members. My mother and sisters need not to beg again.”