Media for Change: A Decade of Reporting on Social Issues in Somalia
Said Mohamud Isse
Media & Communications Specialist | Youth Empowerment | Digital Literacy | Media for Social Change in Fragile Contexts.
The cover picture was taken on September 20th, 2015, the day I started working for Save the Children Somalia. To me, it was a privilege to become a communications professional, and perhaps for Save the Children, a delight to have hired me.
This year marks the 9th year of my journey as a media and communications professional. During this time, I have worked for Save the Children Somalia for a total of eight years, across two separate periods, and for one year with the UNDP Somalia program.
While I am not leaving the development and humanitarian aid sector entirely, I am pleased to announce that I will be taking a one-year gap. This means I will be stepping down from my role at Save the Children Somalia at the end of this month.
Having said that, I will take a moment to reflect on the best moments and my proudest achievements during this time— these achievements are not mine alone, and they wouldn’t have been possible without my colleagues. There are many stories that are dear to me, but I will list the few that I hold as the most impactful.
1. The climate change adaptation programme in Somalia by the UNDP.
In 2017, I travelled to northeastern Somalia to see UNDP’s climate change adaptation programme in the region. This was the year when a devastating drought displaced hundreds of thousands across the Somali peninsula. By then, UNDP’s climate change adaptation efforts focused on building the resilience of drought-affected communities in Somalia by providing water harvesting facilities like sand dams. One of these facilities was Biya-Gaduud Sand dam in Puntland. Thousands of families, affected by water scarcity due to the drought, were displaced to the area in and around the sand dam. The dam captured about 95,000 cubic meters of water following sporadic rains toward the end of December 2016. Although the rains were too little to alleviate the water destress of pastoralist families across the Somali peninsula, they provided much-needed relief to families who could reach Biya-Gaduud sand dam.
Here are some of the stories I collected in 2017, including a photo essay at The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2017/may/10/search-for-water-drought-parched-somalia-in-pictures
Sand dams Save lives: https://undp-climate.exposure.co/sand-dams-save-lives
I am glad that these stories contributed to the allocation of more resources for climate change adaptation programming in Somalia.
2. The Fight to End FGM in Somalia.
98% of girls and women undergo FGM in Somalia. There are ongoing efforts to end FGM in the country, but many people do not speak out against the practice. In 2018, I was able to follow the stories of children, women and men who raise their voices and fight to end the FGM in Somalia. Many of these groups were schoolchildren. They moved around their neighborhood and spoke to parents to explain why they want to end FGM in Somalia. There were also health practitioners, activists and youth groups who joined community conversations to debate the harmful effects of the FGM.
Here is a photo storybook published by Save the Children International. https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/fighting_for_a_better_future_photobook.pdf/
3. The midwife who served her community more than 40 years.
In 2020, I met mama Safia. Everyone at Gardo General hospital which is a facility in a small town in Bari region, Somalia, calls her mama Safia— they do so because she earned respect not only through her age but also her work at this hospital. She started working at this hospital when it was a primary health unit, nearly half a century ago. Safia have witnessed the improvement of the health services at this hospital— from a primary health unit to level Four regional hospital. She works with about dozens or so midwives at this hospital, all of whom look up to her dedication and service to the community.
I sat with her and two other midwives at this hospital. Between them, they delivered 10,000 babies. This is an estimate and could be even higher.
Read my blog about Safia and her colleagues at Gardo General hospital. https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/blogs/2021/international-day-of-the-midwife
4. Responding to the climate crisis in Somalia.
Nearly half of Somalia’s population was severely affected by a devastating climate crisis, which was caused by successive failed rainy seasons mid-2022. The crisis peaked toward the end of 2021. Somalia was on the brink of famine yet again, but this time there were multiple ongoing crises in different parts of the world: Yemen, Syria, Mali, and the looming Russian invasion of Ukraine. So Somali children faced a bleak outlook for survival and a little support from the world. However, Save the Children team ran an incredible media campaign to raise awareness of the crisis in Somalia and help avert famine in the country. Together with Save the Children International Global Media Unit colleagues and colleagues in Somalia we have hosted dozens of media outlets in the country to ensure that world did not forget about Somalia. By the end of the year, we helped Save many children through our programming and through our advocacy, media and fundraising work.
For more, read Save the Children Somalia Office Advocacy and Media annual report in 2022: https://express.adobe.com/page/vX1YokbRI0kTL/#media-and-communications-highlights
5. Media development and media for development
Somalia’s media landscape is dominated by news on current, breaking events, which are largely related to conflicts and politics. Other social issues rarely make it to the news. This can also be attributed to the low budget operations that limit the capacity of the national media in Somalia. Additionally, many journalists at national media lack the skills necessary to report on social issues as it requires specialized reporting.
Over the past eight years, my colleagues and I worked closely with local media associations, and journalists to train local journalists issues affecting children’s rights in Somalia. We also facilitated media trips for local journalists to promote coverage of key social issues at national media outlets.
Close to one thousand journalists and at least three media associations in Somalia participated training sessions and local media trips we organised during this period.
I will continue dedicating more energy on this as I move forward, and I hope Save the Children will continue these initiatives because I believe media plays an integral role in policy processes. For a policy change to be a success, telling stories that prove that a change needs to happen is equally important as realising a policy change through policymakers’ corridors of influence. Therefore, media is as important as ever to build societies and develop nations in the developing world. Somalia needs media hegemony with principle of educating, informing and entertaining to biuld a better society.
6. Speaking to Somali children and their families.
In the last seven years, interviewing children, their parents, schoolteachers, and Save the Children staff in the frontlines became a routine. Most of their stories were inspiring. When I spoke to schoolchildren advocating to end FGM, it made me reflect on my school days. I was not lucky enough to have a grassroots advocacy initiative at school, but arrive late than never, so I am still happy to help them tell their stories. Mama Safia’s picture gives me goosebumps. You must be very lucky to have listened to her story.
There also are few stories that also inspire me most. If I gave an excerpt of each story, it would be a book on its own. And if you made this far in reading my decade at Save the Children International you are also a great advocate. Thank you for reading all the inspiring work that Save the Children is doing.
Links to other stories that I have beheld:
The Climate Crisis: A children’s crisis: https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/The-Climate-Crisis-2022.pdf/
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AMRAN - AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROJECT ASSISTANT IN SOMALIA: https://www.savethechildren.net/blog/day-life-amran-early-childhood-education-project-assistant-somalia#
Solar energy trainings: giving Somali youth a chance to succeed
Voices of Resilience: A Multisectoral approach to combatting the hunger crisis to drought-affected communities in Somalia
https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/Voices-of-Resilience-Photobook.pdf/
Somalia: Despite challenges, education paves the way for a promising future
Empowering children with disabilities through inclusive education in Somalia
Other stories that I have published:
Digital media and coffee shops are helping to nurture aspiring Somali singers
All my goats are dead': Somalis leave homes to escape drought, starvation
A displaced father of 25 leads a fight to return home in Somalia
Greenhouse farming instills hope in Somali pastoralists facing drought
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2moI see stories on solar energy training, and I remember how vocational skills changed the lives of young people in Garowe.
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11moSaid Mohamud Isse when i see stories on Women and Girls my heart is moved and there is that joy because i believe change will come as we continue to speak.Thank you for documenting this beautiful stories will keep reading through and can only wish you the best in your future endeavours
Education Programme Manager at Save the Children International
11moMasha Allah! You are an exceptional team player. I admire your passion & dedication bro. Go well and horn your skills In Shaa Allah. Expecting to have you back In Shaa Allah Said Mohamud Isse
Bachelor of Business Administration/ Humanitarian Worker/Climate Activities
11mo"Good luck! It's a very interesting story."
Chief Accountant | ERPNext Specialist | Financial Reporting & Controls Expert.
11moGood luck Abti