It was another tough day today for any hope-seeking blogger. But I did unearth this tale of promise in Newsweek. It briefly documents the life of a Somali refugee, Abass Hassan Mohamed, who having survived tremendous hardship as a child, now finds himself - through natural talent, hard work and a bit of help from family and friends - a student at Princeton University in the US. It's a tale of two extremes, and of one man's ability to bridge them. There aren't many that manage this journey perhaps, but it shows it can be done.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
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It’s always heartening to hear of such achievements. I’ve known several Somali refugees, usually the ones who have not had anything like the success of Abass, and they each have an amazing story to tell. The person I knew best was Ali, whose wife and two daughters fled the country and came to Europe as refugees. Ali was caught up in the fighting. He was eventually wounded and escaped to England two years after his wife and daughters had arrived. Through the remarkable international and local networks of refugees, they were united 10 months later. Ali had been a health worker in Somalia and he got part-time work over here (UK) teaching courses on healthy living to Somalis – there are specific problems, such as TB and khat, that afflict Somali communities. Ali is bright, intelligent and personable, but part-time teaching for a few hours a week is all the work he can find. He’s coping, but only just. This is an all too common pattern for people fleeing desperate conditions in their own country. Their qualifications are not recognised in the host country and they have a struggle. What makes this much worse is the attitude of many in the host country - “British jobs for British people” – which smacks of an endemic and enduring xenophobia which runs through Britain like Blackpool through rock. But, to come back to Abass, he shows that things can be different. I hope they are for Ali’s sake.
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