Agency Details:

Somali Orphans Project

Somali Orphans Project has a simple but powerful mission: to support the development of orphanages and schools for children in Somalia who have no family and no hope.

Description:
Background:

Civil war in Somalia 1991-2006

Somalia,is situated in the Horn of Africa Eastern tip opposite to Yemen Republic(Arabian peninsula.). After the collapse of the Central Government the Country has been fragmented in to several mini regional States along clan allegiance.

The Civil conflict has ruined and devastated the Country beyond imagination with total destruction of public infrastructures at every level (Districts, Regional, or Nationwide) such as: Highways, Roads ,bridges, public buildings whether ministries, schools , Hospitals & Clinics, Airports facilities including Runways & control towers, Seaports, Agricultural, canals & dykes for irrigated farmlands.

Due to the conflict, unprecedented incidents of death and displacement of innocent human being were suddenly experienced at nationwide. Over the past sixteen years, the rule of the gun proved the only constant factor in many parts of the country.
With absence of the powerful authority of a central government, inter-clan disputes over numerous issues, mainly power sharing and competition for the already scarce resources, continue to ignite conflict and fighting.

The prolonged conflict gave rise to a generation of young people that practically know no life other than that of the gun, true to their way of life and resisting any change that may compromise it. Otherwise known as clan militia forces, this young generation is found heavily armed with different types of lethal weaponry and normally under the command of clan –backed leaders. They form the muscle of the clan faction and are, unfortunately, quite dispensable for the sake of protecting group interests.

A close observation of the makeup of the generation in question reveals that:

1. They are direct victims of the anarchy in Somalia; majority of them lost either one or both parents in the conflict and have thus come to live the only life they could, that would enable them to survive in uncompromising circumstances.
   
   
2. Despite efforts to demobilize, disarm and re-integrate the militia into the society by means of providing vocational trainings and other income-generating skills, the number of militia is ever increasing. This is partly because the conflict is still going on in many parts of the country and partly because, in the case of Puntland regions, increased numbers of orphans arrive with the influx of people fleeing those conflict areas.



History:
S.O.P strives to ameliorate the lives of the orphans by providing them with basic needs of life namely shelter, education and health care up to the age of early adulthood. Thus, in one hand, the tasks include provision of opportunities that enable orphans to depend on their capabilities for earning their livelihood as respected members of the citizenry. On the other hand, long-term impacts envisioned include the prevention the second & third generations of armed youth emerging in Puntland states (northeast Somalia )in the foreseeable future and contribute to peace, reconciliation and unity among presently disputed Somali communities & clan factions, in order to allay future civil strife.

The end goal of S.O.P is to assist underage orphans by:



1. Providing them with shelter, food, health care etc so as to cut once for all the homelessness, poverty and ailment.
   
   
2. Providing them with basic, compulsory education up to G8 and other optional opportunities such as secondary schools and technical/vocational skills.
   
   
3. Securing public acceptance of collective responsibility for these victims of the Civil conflict by employing strategies to raise general awareness, legal advocacy for the orphans; extensive local employment of the independent existing media outlets in Puntland such as newsletters, radios, televisions and websites etc.
   
   
S.O.P. always encourages grassroots participatory programs implementation by the full breathe s of the community sectors.

S.O.P. is determined to work in objectivity, transparency and trustworthiness.

S.O.P. is governed by:

A. international and local humanitarian codes of conduct

B. internal Rules and Regulations.

S.O.P. strategy for program implementation: Strictly comply with the Puntland state rules and regulations that govern and set legal framework for NGO (non-governmental organization)



Contact person: Asha Gelle, President, (email)

Address:


23401 104th Ave SE #29 Kent, WA 98031 (See a map)


Web Site: None specified

Miscellaneous Information

Liability
	No
Does your organization welcome court-ordered community service volunteers?
	No
Does your organization have volunteer positions for youth 12-18?
	No

Last updated on June 14, 2009