SOMALILAND YOUTH SOCIETY - NAYD

16 Pages·2012·1.2 MB·English

by  Mahamed Adan

SOMALILAND YOUTH SOCIETY
(SYS-BURAO)

Burao, Togdheer, Somaliland
Address: Ex-orphanage
SYS Youth multi-purpose Centre
Tell: 4436999/4419140, 713269
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Evidence of SYS Implemented activities

UNPOS Ministry of Water and Mineral MRRR
1
1. INTRODUCTION:

Somaliland Youth Society (SYS) is a local youth, non governmental non- profit making non partisan and
non-political voluntary organization that operates all the six regions of Somaliland in particular eastern
regions of Somaliland. SYS-Burao was established in July 2001 by a group of youth from Togdheer region to
address the social and economical problems facing the youth. SYS is one of the national and Burao IDP
working groups, since 2005 SYS has been closely working with the internally displaced persons live in the a
different settlements in Togdheer region closely with the IDPs in Burao, also SYS has good relation with the
different IDPs committees, Somaliland Ministry of Resettlement and Reconstruction, Burao local
municipality and other IDPs stakeholders. On the other hand SYS has practical experience and capacity for
implementing this Non food items distribution project. SYS has qualified and experienced human resource
as well as the organization has large premises that can help for storing and distribution of the Non food
items for the IDPs in Burao.

2. SYS YOUTH CENTRE

Burao Youth Multi purpose Centre (BYMC) is a youth recreation centre that managing and running by SYS
supported by UNICEF and other agencies. The centre was founded in 2002 with support of UNDP
constructed by candlelight handed over to SYS but it is successfully operating from the year 2005 under the
management of SYS. The centre intended to provide youth friendly activities and community based services.
The main purpose of initiated this youth centre was to get the place that youth/children can play and receive
all the youth activities and services. The centre is committed to rehabilitate the disadvantage youth to create
employment opportunities through marketable skill trainings, job hunting skills, CV writing, interview
techniques and other educational courses. The return of peace and stability in Burao in 1997 has
encouraged the population to return to their destroyed city and broken down homes to build again their
lives. In an effort to address some of the problems that face the youth, Somaliland youth society (SYS) has
initiated in 2002 the establishment of above mentioned youth centre, before the war the centre was a huge
Orphanage structure that was a home to many needy and homeless children from the region and its
surroundings. As a product of all civil wars this was destroyed including educational institutions, sports
infrastructure as well as all government establishments. As a result of these destructions Youth in
Somaliland were lost without Youth Centers, clubs for integration and communication as well as education
centers and Burao Youth were not an exception. Hence some of the Youth joined conflicts becoming
underage soldiers joining gangsters and drug .dealers and addicts among others. On realizing what was
happening to the youth it became necessary to change them for the better life by providing them with at
least some basic needs of a common youth. Youth Multi-purpose Development Centers were therefore
2
decided to be established in different places and Burao was one of the target areas. Although the core of the
centre were large and especially designed to provide essential and educational programs for the youth but
currently only the following services are provided:

 Sports entertainment of Volleyball and Basketball
 Education( NFE)
 Implementation of HIV/AIDS and FGM awareness rising on HIV/AIDS programs.
 Resource centre (library)
 Information sharing and counseling on katt chewing and other drugs
 Educational monthly newsletter.
 Indoor body exercises
 Recreation of sports and Familiarization of indoor games
 Skill training for the youth
 Burao IDPs protection monitoring and travel movements
 Gender integration and communication center

3. NATURE OF THE ORGANIZATION

1. SYS Burao is a voluntary humanitarian non government non profit making non political non partisan
youth organization dedicated to mobilizing and empowering the youth of Somaliland
2. SYS Burao shall have legal status and personality it shall have the right to sue or to be sued with its own
name.
VISSION STATEMENT
SYS Burao is committed to lead Somaliland youth towards drug free, Education loving, Sports promotion,
peaceful and hygiene and sanitation enhancing and to transform those who needs help in education/ and
gender integration
MISSION STATEMENT
SYS Burao was founded in 2001 by local youth activist to promote the living standard of local youth and
children through Education, skills trainings, Sports, health, rights advocacy, and sanitation and awareness
programs. SYS-Burao supports the youth throughout Somaliland, but it’s focused on the areas of Togdheer
region. Its work is implemented through jointly planed beneficiary projects.

3
Objectives of the organization
The objectives of SYS-Burao are:

1. To improve the living standards of disadvantaged youth and children in the IDPs and returnees
settlements by providing them avoidable, high quality basic literacy classes, skill training classes and
seminars and income generation
2. To revive the sports of the region through trainings and tournaments so as to increase the social inter
action among local youth groups.
3. To prevent youth from the bad behaviors of drugs consumption by providing them reliable
entertainment and recreation services.
4. To insure that the health services are available and affordable to every one in Togdheer region by
advocacy.
5. To enhance the environmental condition for the youth health through effective sanitation programs.
6. To serve for youth through effective awareness programs (workshops, seminars etc.) on the reproductive
health (HIV/AIDS, FGM and other STDs).
7. To serve as a forum for sharing experiences and information on youth affecting issues.
8. To advocate the improvement of youth and child rights legislations.
9. To empower youth (both male and female) to play actively their role in civil society activities (Project/
programs) in Togdheer region.
VALUES AND GOALS
S.Y.S Burao committed to,
1. Encourage the youth to understand their roles in the civil society activities, as well as about their rights.
2. Implementing projects according to the needs of the local people not for SYS_Burao.
3. Providing support that will have a very long-term positive effect on the adult youth (male and female)
and children in Togdheer region.
4. Prevent and battle against the bad behaviors such as drugs consumption, tribalism, robbery, etc. in the
local youth society.
Focus area of the organization
The work of the organization shall be limited to any humanitarian work based its objectives.
Area of operation
 Education program Literacy and numeration classes (NFE) skill training.
 Sports program, recreational activities and various sports arrangements.
 Gender integration formulated
4
 Healthy program, awareness raising on HIV/AIDS FGM, Hygiene and sanitation activities, IDPs
community and general youth of Burao.
 Journal production.
Departments/programs
The Somaliland youth society SYS-Burao has provision of departments
Such as:
 Sports departments
 Education departments
 Human rights department
 Healthy departments
 Huge Youth Centre management
Departmental objectives
 To strength the activities of the organization in order to survive and fulfill its mission.
 To bring about positive social and organizational change.
 To conduct organizational assessments of implementing projects
 To sustain the development of organizational planning, monitoring and evaluation.
Major activities of the department include:
 Planning of the activities of the department
 Budget preparation for the department
 Fund raising for the departmental programs
 Implementing departmental programs
 Monitoring and evaluation of the programs
 Documentation of all capacity building activities
Programs of the departments
The programs of the departments are to strengthen the capacity of the organization and its target group,
departments focuses on developmental programs that consolidate organizational and individual
competencies. Such programs focus on building the capacity of staff that is aimed at positioning them
5
strategically in order to participate actively in the developmental process of the origination and to be
paramount channels of empowering the community.
4. Organizational achievements and current programs

1. SYS Education program

 Education programs
SYS established a non-formal education school in the year of 2004, the beneficiaries of the centre is young
people who didn’t participated the formal education and still remain illiteracy and adult people who can not
read and write. As we know the education has great value for human being. SYS is integral party of local
development organization. Which particular involved the child rights, education improvement and
campaign against illiteracy, in every eight months SYS trains out of school children, adult people both men
and women. The subjects that the Center provides including, literacy and Numeracy, languages as Somali,
English, moths, and also they are taken other lessons like life skills basic education and skills trainings,
health and commercial courses and the beneficiaries from different parts of the community like IDPs
minority groups and education program of the organization continues both urban and rural areas. Hence,
the urban trainees who completed the courses they will get the skill training opportunities. SYS and CARE
international highlighted some enterprises as host trainers. “Ongoing NFE project” Currently, SYS is directly
implementing the project which is entitled “Enhancing women’s participation in Decision making and
Increasing Community’s awareness on human rights in Togdheer region” funded by International Solidarity
Foundation (ISF) through NAGAAD network, this project including adult education both urban and rural
areas, the life span of the project is 4 years. The majority of project beneficiaries are the unemployed and
untrained/under-trained youth of Burao (women and men). They will come from diverse social and
educational backgrounds. Most of them are returnees, as well as a result of influx of pastoral families to
towns due to the adverse environmental conditions in the countryside. The fact that the families are poor
and untrained to take up urban jobs has resulted in the low economic situation of the target groups. And
there are other education programs including SYS shaqodoon program funded by USAID through EDC. The
Somali Youth Livelihoods Program SYLP shaqadoon, is implementing by SYS and funded by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID). Through Education Development Center (EDC) this
program aimed to improve the living standard conditions of the Somaliland youth, the core Shaqodoon
Training and Placement (TAP) Program provides Somali youth with a greater opportunity to access training,
internships, real paid job and self-employment opportunities. These opportunities are intended to
productively engage youth and add to the stability and development of the region. Somali staff, assisted by
international experts, work with employers to better understand the skills needed by them, assist education
6
and training providers to develop programs that are more focused on meeting labor market
demand, and build upon existing technical training programs. 94 were graduated and 35 out of 94 were
get real paid job from the NGOS, government offices and commercial stakeholders

2. Youth at risk program (NFE, Life skills, psychosocial, skills trainings. recreation and sports
activities)
Youth at risk program is funded by government of Japan through UNICEF with local partners SYS and
SONYO umbrella. This project is based on the Burao Togdheer region in promoting Community Security
through engagement with youth at risk & Life Skills Based Education to create protection mechanisms,
conflict management and building peace and stability process of the district. This project is intends to
rehabilitate the disadvantaged youth in Burao to minimize the violence and conflicts among the youth
particularly youth at risk for the provision of life skills based education (LSBE), literacy and numeracy (NFE),
psychosocial counseling, ICT skills and recreation and sports activities. Now many young persons have
shown the interest of actively effecting positive change in their communities if only they would be provided
with knowledge, skills. This initiative is also very participatory as adolescents and the young persons are
engaged in all aspects of the project activities. The outcomes of the LSBE where the project discovered the
importance of enlargement of LSBE and address youth vulnerable to the conflict and violence, thus UNICEF,
UNDP, ILO, SONYO and SYS have coalition to demobilise 350 youth at risk with LSBE, NFE, Psychosocial and
family reintegration programs. Other activities: there is a study carried out by SYS in December 2006, on
skill Training and Skills Providers in Somaliland, covered 19 institutions (INGO’s, LNGOs and UN-agencies)
that are either supporting or implementing an assortment of training programs of various lengths and
contents. These include carpentry, masonry, electricity, tailoring, embroidery and knitting, handicrafts,
computer training, midwifery, book-keeping, accounting, secretarial skills and some of other trainings.
Their length spanned from 15 days to 8 months. The study showed that almost 50% of the graduates have
been able to get engaged in employment after the acquisition of marketable skills of which 62% of those
who graduated and employed are males. On the basis of the above findings, the study concluded that the
7
vocational skills training as a first opportunity for young men and women to get engaged in self or gainful
employment. SYS has an agreements focused on Electricity, Electronics, computer hardware, beautification
training and secretarial skills, which will now attended or considered in the first and second phases of the
program such as electricity/electronics training and an assortment of skills that are designed for women. On
the basis of enterprises
Problem analysis

POOR INCOME
Effects GENERATION IN
FAMILIES

HIGH
Core Problem
UNEMPLOYMENT OF

WOMEN AND MEN IN
BURAO AREA
FEW JOBS
AVAILABLE
GIRLS DO NOT
MANY HAVE FAMILY ENTERPR.
CHILDREN VOCATIONAL PREFER OWN
ARE SKILLS FAMILY
ILLETERATE MEMBERS
LOT OF

UNSKILLED
POPULATION

FAMILIES NOT BOYS ARE EARLY
FEW ENTERPRISES
AWARE OF ADVANTAGED FOR MARRIAGES
IN AREA
IMPOTANCE OF SCHOOLING AND ARE
EDUCATION VOC. TRAINING COMMON

s
e FAMILIES NOT IN SOMALI FEW LOT OF IDPs IN NO INVESTEMENTS
s AWARE OF CULTURE MEN OPPORTUNITIES BURAO IN BURAO
u IMPOTANCE OF ONLY ARE FOR VOCATIONAL
a EDUCATION DECISIONMAKERS TRAINING
C

Social Conditions

3. Environmental protection, Hygiene and sanitation programs

 SYS organized hygiene and sanitation campaigns against rubbish and plastic bags and mobilizations
among community after SYS feels and deplores the wide impacts of the plastic bags with IDPs
community.
8
 SYS conducted community mobilizations that about a sanitation campaign and role of community
participation in the protection of widespread problems of rubbish and keep environmental impacts with
IDPs community and general in society.
 SYS implemented hand washing project through Video productions to release Burao Video centers and
Hargaisa TV
 SYS took part the national cleaning campaigns both in activities and in kind and cash contributions
collaborated with government and community actors.

4. Solid waste management project

SYS implement a broad based solid waste management awareness campaign project funded by EC through
CESVI International coordinated by Burao Municipality, geared towards Solid waste Management
Behavioral change among Burao residents. SYS was strive during implementation to impart information on
the effects of poor waste disposal as it affects Individual & community health, Environmental degradation
and Poverty associated with avoidable medical bills,
Project activities
1. Training on solid waste management for Community Sanitation Committees
(CSC)

2. SWM awareness campaigns through Drama performance.

9
5. Improvement of livelihoods and environmental protection through recycling of plastic bags project

Since May 2011 SYS has been implementing a project named Improvement of livelihoods and
environmental protection through recycling of plastic bags in Burao, that funded by EC through the
international organization named CESVI that has been operating in Somaliland since 2000, The project was
aimed to improve the livelihoods of untrained youth mainly women from poor internally displaced families
and mitigate the environmental degradation due to accumulation of solid waste in Burao through recycling
of plastic bags to produce marketable product. After a profound sanitary assessment conducted by SYS in
Burao; the following main problems were identified: A) limited community awareness and knowledge on
proper waste disposal leading to over accumulation of plastic bags that have negative impact on the
sanitation, hygiene and general public health in Burao. B) Widespread environmental degradation of
grassing land, agricultural land, bushes which causes death of a large number of livestock due to improper
disposal of waste products particularly accumulation plastic bags. C) Limited community knowledge and
skills to handle and reverse the danger from the plastic bags accumulation in Burao. D) The Local
municipality has scarce resources available for the garbage collection compounded with improper uses of
temporary dumping sites by the community and inadequate solid waste management systems. E) Untrained
youth (women and men) from poor internally displaced youth have limited skills training opportunities.

Produced items Trade fair event in Burao

6. HIV/AIDS AND FGC PROGRAMs

 SYS conducted community awareness rising against HIV/AIDS and STDS and workshop and
discussions to reduce the risks and problems of these diseases.
 SYS held seminars and discussion forums towards the danger of HIV/AIDS and programs that focus
on the prevention a long run the risk of losing credibility and how to explore the way to reduce
10