Objectives of the Discussion

To initiate local “A Better Community for All”
To highlight constraints posed by the state house community and to facilitate means that can contribute to life in a safe environment and to allow for participation in a better community for all
To create recommendations as to how the community can be mobilized through ABC4All

In order to facilitate the discussion of questions of how to make your communities better for all, we asked the participants to address the challenges faced by the state house IDP.

Discussion Question 1

What are the main challenges that the children in your community face?

The state house community is composed of 4000 to 4500 extended families, with the average number of children for each family estimated to be 5 to 7. The main challenges that statehouse children and the community face are:

ü Inadequate Education centers or nearly lack of education.

ü Lack of Health facilities and Health care centers in the area

ü Shortage of Shelter and food

ü Lack of Recreational centers

ü Poor sanitation

ü Lack of life skills training for the youth

ü Insecurity for a child to play freely

Shelter and food

The shelter each family has access to live in is only one hut, depending on the family income, but there are those who do not have enough coverage with existing huts. Because of such poor shelter, the community faces several problems during rainy seasons. In addition, there is shortage of food in this community. Poverty is alarming, because each family spends less than one dollar for food and nutrition each day. Children have no access to get enough nutrition and food to grow.

Recreational centers

There is stigma and discrimination between the statehouse community and neighboring communities. Children in the statehouse are out of touch with the recreational centers within the town. Children or youth in the statehouse community do not have access to youth or sport centers.

Education

There is a shortage of education centers within the state house community. These families cannot afford to pay for formal education including public schools for which they have to pay less than the amount for private centers. One or two children from each family have access to attend the education centers of that area. Even those who have a chance to learn are not able to do their homework satisfactorily. There is lack of electricity and a good environment for such learning to take place.

Lack of life skill training

Because of inadequate education and life skill training, children have adopted substance abuse and drugs. Young girls facing delay of formal education can enter into an early marriage, lack life-skills training, find themselves in economic dependence, and can be exposed to rape, abuse, divorce, FGC\M. In addition, there are no health care facilities or MCH within the community. Several women have passed away during delivery in the statehouse community when they did not get proper health care services. Vocational training is not provided to statehouse community that can cover the family income.

Sanitation

There is poor sanitation in the communities around the state house. With such conditions in the IDP state house, they are subject to diseases that can break out with the rains.

Question 2

What ideas are you contributing to overcome these challenges?

The participants of the discussion contributed the following points:

§ to establish basic education for all and educate young generations

§ to provide basic and vocational training for women and men to cover their family income needs

§ life skill trainings and employment opportunities should be provided

§ to advocate and lobby to build MCH and sanitation materials

§ To create sport and youth centers and provide sport materials such as footballs, dress and link them to the other youth groups in the town.

§ Electricity and security lights should be put in the statehouse area.

How can we create A Better Community for All in the statehouse youth and women?

Through child education and child care programs
Creating environment that supports the children of the statehouse
If we could get chance or access to communicate with the Queen of the United Kingdom - we hope they will hear our voice

What transformative actions needed to take to develop a better community for all?

The participants suggested establishing working voluntarily for the community and ensure that all the above-mentioned needs are met in the near future. The youth CBO and members from the other community of statehouse can support the team to create the means to empower a better community for all.

There are several areas identified during the discussion to target:

© ABC4All: Fosia suggested launching the local ABC4All event for Somalia. The resource will need to operate as the first to participate. The ABC4All Mentoring Team will help voluntarily to mobilize local resources

© The Mentoring Team leader discussed and recommended launching an awareness campaign locally for ABC4All and inviting resource individuals to contribute to the community. The Mentoring Team leaders promised to pass this information and share with the rest of ABC4All and the Founders.

“Activity Plan of Launching A Better Community for All” Public Event

Action Plan

Date: March 25- April 15^th , 2007

Location: Hargeisa Statehouse IDP

Objective: Conducting a one-day event of Local ABC4All: “A better community for all” for the statehouse community

S/N	Activity	Responsible person	Timeframe	Target group	Outcome	Indicator
1	Mobilizing community to participate in the event	SHAYDO group	March 25-28 2007	Statehouse community	The importance of ABC4All is Understood by statehouse community	More than 100 people participated in the event
2	Preparation history of statehouse	Fosia	March 26, 2007	Resource people	History of the statehouse recorded	Well prepared and recorded statehouse history
3	Developing page in TIG	Fosia	March 27, 2007	SHAYDO org	active role in local ABC4All community development	More visibility in community activities organized by Local ABC4All Mentoring Team
4	Preparation event docu- mentation materials	Fosia	March 26-28, 2007	Video and digital cameras,	Will document the event with documentation produced and disseminated to all stakeholders	One video and one digital cameras in place two days before event
5	Development event promotion materials	SOLVOY	March 28, 2007	Slogan and T-shirts	Event name publicized to stakeholders	One slogan and T-shirts produced for the event
8	Inviting official delegates	Miigane	March 28, 2007	Boobe, Gaariye, Hassan Awale and ministry of family affaires	The importance of participation in ABC4All is appreciated	Number official delegates attracted by the event
9	Inviting media	Muna	March 29, 2007	Radio Hargeisa, SLNTV and journal	The message of Local ABC4All: “A Better Community for All” reached and benefited by the people of Somaliland	Number of people reached through the media
10	Preparation of sound systems	SOLVOY	March 29, 2007			A well prepared event
11	Conduct one day event of “A Better Community for All”	SHAYDO, and ABC4All Mentoring team from SOLVOY	March 31^st , 2007	State house area and community	Statehouse A Better Community for All achieved	Number of people participated in the event
12	Preparing Event report and documentary film to record	Fosia	March 31^st – 15^th April, 2007	All event activities	Draw Lessons learned and recommenda-tions, result of the event communicated to stakeholders	One docu-mentary film and one final report
13	Hold Review meeting	Fosia	April 7-15^th , 2007	Mentoring Team and Solvoy members	Lessons learned are shared and discussed the way forward	Number of participants attended the meeting and decisions made

Discussion Attendance Names

No	Name	Location	Gender	Age
1	Mr. Mohmoud Ali	State house community leader	Male	45yrs
2	Sucaad Mohamad Husien	Statehouse Women CBO	Female	23yrs
3	Koos Owdahir Qalinle	Statehouse Women CBO	Female	36yrs
4	Aamin H. Mohamad	Statehouse Women CBO	Female	27yrs
5	Halimo Osman Kahin	Statehouse Women CBO	Female	25yrs
6	Ibaado Ismail	Statehouse Women CBO	Female	45yrs
7	Fadouma Gahnug	Statehouse Women CBO	Female	30yrs
8	Deeqa mohamad Hassan	Statehouse Women CBO	Female	34yrs
10	Hamse Ali Abdillahi	Shoyda	Male	22yrs
11	Khadar Iiman Cige	Shoda	Male	17yrs
12	Mohamad A/lahi Muuse	Shaydo	Male	20yrs
13	Hussien Mohamad Ali	Shoyda	Male	20yrs
14	Moutafe Qaasim Hassan	Shoyda	Male	22yrs
15	Khaalid Mohomad Yousouf	Shoyda	Male	20yrs
16	Mohamad Awali Ibrahim	Shoyda	Male	21yrs
16	Mubarik Ismail Mohamad	Shoyda	Male	18yrs
17	Mukhtar Omer Jama	Shoyda	Male	21yrs
18	Mustafa Farax Miigane	ABC4All Mentoring member/Somalia	Male	27yrs
19	Muna Ali Abdillahi	ABC4All Mentoring member/Somalia	Female	26yrs
20	Fosia Abdullahi Eidle	ABC4All Mentoring member/Somalia	Female	27yrs