ANNANDALE, Va. – Disorder and chaos continue to be a part of everyday life in Somalia. The lack of government oversight has led to a future of uncertainty for some of its youngest residents.

But thousands of miles away, right here in Virginia, two local teens are working together to create structure through education.
These high school students aren’t kicking back this summer break. In fact, they’re hard at work, building their non-profit.

Bashir Warsame and Sahnun Mohamud are going back to their roots and offering hope for the children of Somalia.”With them not having the same opportunities, we decided we had to take part, and try and do what we can,” Warsame said.  “At age 10 that’s when the groups, the terrorists organizations, the pirates, recruit the kids,” said Mohamud.

It’s the harsh reality brought to their attention through their Somali parents.
“There’s a lot of fighting among different groups, there are radical groups that are fighting the government,” said Hassan Warsame, Bashir’s father.

Education is often lost in the disorder, giving these teens more reason to make a difference with Wake-Up Somalia, their classroom initiative.

All the fundraising will go toward purchasing equipment for schools in Somalia. “There will be a laptop and projector and the projector will project the curriculum and the teacher will guide the students,” said Warsame.

Two years in the making, the non-profit is almost halfway to its goal of raising $10,000. Thanks to technology and social media, the support is growing here and abroad.

These young men are rising seniors at Annandale High School. And even with college just around the corner, they say their non-profit will remain a priority.

__

Channel 8 News

Comments

comments