Recent trip to Somalia

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

I thank Allah(SWT),our donors and the community that run the projects that Amoud Foundation supports. For the past twenty years, brothers and sisters stay behind and sacrifice everything they have.

Trip Summary:

On my most recent trip, I have noticed the food prices have skyrocketed. The Horn of Africa per capita income is less than $200 a year and a family cannot make less than ten days.  Mogadishu security is much better now than a year ago.

Mogadishu IDP is still over crowded. The young boys, girls and women have to travel and stay in line for hours to get some water.  Amoud Foundation arranged emergency water trucks and this will benefit several IDPs. We provided emergency water trucks for 16 IDP camps. We will continue until rain season starts, inshaAllah. We ask your continued support.

I traveled by road from Galcakayo to Borama through Puntland and Somaliland. The last time was back in 1976. The impact of drought and civil war are everywhere. You don’t see any green until you reach Hargeisa which is half of the country.

Schools and Orphanages:

Al Basiir School of Blind is looking to build a bigger campus. They can only accommodate 29 students right now and there are 295 students on the waiting list. They have the land, which was donated, but need a new facility to house the students. They also need special calculators, audio books and watches specifically for blind.

We were impressed by the Galcakayo Orphanage Center, where they have an education facility up to high school and a boarding school of 180 students, 80 girls and 100 boys.  By far, this is the best well run center in our program. We thank our donors and the team of management who runs the center.  They also have other orphanages in Mogadishu and Benderadleh.

Amoud Foundation and the Diaspora Group bought land that can accommodate the need of the growing campus. They need to start building phase one which is a water well, masjid, dorms and classrooms.

All Amoud Foundation Support Centers are over populated because of the years of civil war, drought and the change of lifestyle.  So many families are leaving nomadic way of life when the livestock is gone and moving to the villages and towns.

Hospital Visits:

Al Medina Hospital needs immediate renovations on the women’s wing after over years of destruction and lack of maintenance.

A team of 20 medical staff from the Amal Group came from Kuwait to  Al Hayatt Medical Center for four days. They have seen firsthand the state of their brothers and sisters and witnessed the conditions.  Individuals traveled from Central Somali , Mogadishu, Gedo and deep Ethiopia land to seek medical attention.

The medical staff saw 970 patients and operated on 97 patients.  We ask Allah(SWT) to bless this group and appeal to our medical community to come forward and travel Al Hayatt Medical Center. The medical students and new doctors also get the benefit of learning new skills by working side by side with the visiting doctors. The hospital is still in need of ENT specialization and eye surgeons.

The future:

I visited with a blind Imam who is in his second year of  high school. He attends a regular high school although he is blind. He is  leading the salat and he is a hafiz. His goal is to graduate from high school and then attend college. Through our donor program, Amoud Foundation bought him a computer and necessary software so he can take notes during class and work on his assignments and home work.

Appeal:

The drought is still persistent in Awdal, Salel and Sahal region of Somaliland. There are around 150,000 individuals at risk and need food assistance.  They have lost all the livestock they have and it will take time to find new stock or find new ways of life. Please continue your support and donate to provide assistance to our brothers and sisters who still need our help.

Jazak Allah Kheir

Mohamoud Egal

President, Amoud Foundation