Abdirashid Jama: Changing for a better future

ILO News, Gardo: Abdirashid Jama Hassan is a 23 years old young man, born and raised in Shimbirale village, Gardo District in Karkaar region of Puntland. As a teenager, Abdirashid got involved in a youth gang in Gardo town, close to his village and was regarded as a trouble maker. He became notorious for his gang involvement and various crimes committed such as theft, robbery, assault and gang violence. He eventually became the leader of the gang, a thorn in the flesh of the entire community and a disgrace to his family. According to him he was isolated and detached from the way of life of other young people in his village and Gardo area. For some time he felt hopeless and believed that he had limited choices in life but he was also apprehensive that there were no alternatives for people like him. A positive change of attitude began just before he started the Youth for Change programme where he finally realized that he had to work hard to turn his life around be a law abiding citizen.

Abdirashid was among the first young people who took advantage of the valuable opportunity to enrol into the Youth for Change programme. He was very thrilled to go back to education and training which meant better and brighter future for him. He immensely benefitted from the programme not the least the education and skills but that he is now accepted as part of the peace loving society and can intermingle with other young people. Abdirashid believes that his change of behaviour is mainly due to the guidance and support he received from the programme. The programme gave him a real impetus to improve his life, a genuine and attractive alternative to gang membership and violence and contributed to his reintegration in the community.

After completing the entrepreneurship course, Abdirashid was very fortunate to become one of the fourteen young people in Gardo who received a business start-up grant. He opened a small kiosk selling goods at a very strategic location along the tarmac road and in front of the well-known Sandhere Supermarket in Gardo town. The small business is progressing well and he attributes that success to the knowledge and skills he has developed during the Basic Business course. Abdirashid jokingly boasts that many members of Gardo community who disapproved of him before are now his clients.

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