{"id":17442,"date":"2025-07-18T23:14:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T23:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/?p=17442"},"modified":"2025-07-23T12:08:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T12:08:19","slug":"rising-above-the-drought-a-somali-boys-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/2025\/07\/18\/rising-above-the-drought-a-somali-boys-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising above the drought: a Somali boy\u2019s mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Abdirisak Mohamud Tuuryare<\/strong><\/p>\n

MOGADISHU —<\/strong> In 2009, a young boy named Ismail Hashim arrived at Badbado camp in Mogadishu, fleeing a devastating drought in southern Somalia. He and his family had nothing but the clothes they wore and an uncertain future ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe left everything behind\u2014just to survive,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n

The camp, crowded and harsh, became his new reality. But amid the chaos and struggle, Ismail found determination. He watched, learned, and began to dream\u2014not just for himself, but for his community.<\/p>\n

Now, more than a decade later, Ismail has transformed adversity into ingenuity. He designs and builds charcoal cookers with three fire chambers\u2014practical tools that allow families to prepare multiple meals at once. It\u2019s a solution born from hardship, but powered by hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife pushed me to be creative,\u201d he says, his hands darkened by soot. \u201cI didn\u2019t have a choice. I had to find a way to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

His cookers have gained popularity in the camp and among low-income households across the area. Affordable, efficient, and designed with empathy, they reflect his deep understanding of daily needs.<\/p>\n

Forced to drop out of school due to poverty, Ismail never gave up on learning. He taught himself by doing, by failing, and by persevering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t afford school fees,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut I knew I had something to offer\u2014with my hands and my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

With time, he refined his craft\u2014and began teaching others. Today, Ismail mentors and employs a group of young boys from the camp, passing on the skills that once helped him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey help with welding and assembling. If I grow, they grow too,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But Ismail\u2019s ambition doesn\u2019t stop with handmade stoves. He dreams of building a full-scale factory to produce gas cookers and create employment for Somali youth. His vision is clear\u2014but resources are limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest obstacle is access to equipment and technology. Without proper tools, it\u2019s hard to scale up,\u201d he says. \u201cBut with support, I could transform how we cook in Somalia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ismail doesn\u2019t ask for charity\u2014he asks for opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want handouts. I want training, machines, and access to markets. That\u2019s how I\u2019ll grow. That\u2019s how I\u2019ll help others.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also urges young Somalis to think twice before taking dangerous migration routes to Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis country needs you,\u201d he says. \u201cI believe in Somalia. It\u2019s a land that gave me pain\u2014but also purpose. I\u2019m not leaving it behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ismail, innovation isn\u2019t just about invention\u2014it\u2019s about survival, dignity, and building a future where young people don\u2019t have to choose between hunger and hope.<\/p>\n

His journey, from a displaced child to a self-taught innovator, is proof that even in the harshest environments, resilience can flourish\u2014and dreams can be forged in fire.<\/p>\n

Source: SMN\u00a0 \u00a0Origin: view original<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Abdirisak Mohamud Tuuryare MOGADISHU — In 2009, a young boy named Ismail Hashim arrived at Badbado camp in Mogadishu, fleeing a devastating drought in southern Somalia. He and his family had nothing but the clothes they wore and an uncertain future ahead. \u201cWe left everything behind\u2014just to survive,\u201d he recalls. The camp, crowded and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,1,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-displacement-and-asylum","category-news","category-reports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17442"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17453,"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17442\/revisions\/17453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}