Mogadishu: Championing for peace through football
The joy and pride of the Yemeni refugee community football club was palpable when they scored five goals against Benadir football club’s three goals in a penalty shoot-out, at a match held during the World Refugee day in Mogadishu.
Events to mark the day were coordinated by Action Africa Help International (AAH-I), in partnership with the National High Commission For Refugees & IDPs (NCRI) in Somalia.
Yemeni refugee community football club celebrating their win
The day began with speeches and a networking session at the Al Jazeera Hotel, which was attended by the refugee community, government officials and development partners.
Deputy Mayor Abdullahi Elmi Erag thanked humanitarian agencies for supporting refugees. He promised continued support of refugees by developing channels for communication to ensure that their grievances are heard and their registration followed through to support their safety.
NCRI Commissioner Ahmed Dahir highlighted the role of NCRI as a government commission whose major role is coordination and monitoring of services refugees. “We work with development agencies to ensure that refugees can access humanitarian assistance according to need and without adverse discrimination.”
AAH-I’s Mogadishu Project Manager Abdullahi Keinan spoke on behalf of development partners supporting refugees in south central Somalia. The International Rescue Committee provides cash assistance, Hannano hospital provides medical services while NCRI provides livelihood support to make refugees self-reliant. With support from UNHCR, AAH Somalia operates two warehouses from where core relief items are dispatched within the region. In addition, AAH-I is supporting inclusive and equitable quality education for refugee children in Somalia by running the Yemeni Community School in Mogadishu. He thanked the government for coordination of humanitarian activities and provision of general security in Mogadishu.