Ayub, also transliterated Ayuub, is an orphanage centre on the edge of the port city of Merka, in southern Somalia. in this center, hundreds of hapless orphans, male and female who have been wallowing in the streets or lived with out caretaker in squalid IDP camps are fed, schooled and given shelter. The biological parents of these children perished during the heinous civil war, either by bullet or for hunger. Ayub orphanage center was set up by an unsung heroine and humanitarian worker Mana Suldan Abdirahman Ali Ise widely known "Mana Xaajow", a fame personality in lower Shebelle region, with the help of an international organization called water for life (WFL) headquartered in TRENTINO ALTO ADIGE province of Italy- a former colony of southern Somalia.
Mana has been toiling hard for many years to educate and feed these children to build their future. As, an interest to the children and their future is sine qua non of teaching & helping children Mana had the caliber of a humanitarian worker, she was always motivated by her inner feeling and belief that children are the cornerstone of the every society´s development, her humble and affable character earned her the love of her coworkers, partners and Somali society at large, her serene face inspired hundreds of children in Ayub orphanage center who called her MAMA MANA and those scattered in every corner of lower Shebelle region. During her career as relief worker which dates back during 1980s but intensified during the civil war in Somalia, she faced intimidations, death threats and several work related impediments but she never give up. The successive administrators of lower Shebelle region had tried to politicize her humanitarian work to extort her money to finance their self-aggrandizement activities in the region but she had adroitly managed to continue her work for the benefit of these needy and abandoned children. Her determination to work and advocate for the women and children never waned.
Mana suldan Abdirahman, the director WFL Somalia was not only working for the betterment of the life of the children but involved in several capacity building projects in lower Shabelle region like digging water canals, providing capital for small scale farmers.
WFL under the supervision of mana suldan Abdirahman managed to build and run several schools in lower Shebelle like; Shalambood, C/Minye, Mushaani, Waagadi, Jannaale, Ugunji, Buulo mareer, Golweyn and Gaywarrow-all are villages in the region.
Mana Suldan Abdirahman passed away on 14kii December 2007 for heart attack.
One of staff of the center told me that they could not dare to inform Ayub children the disheartening death of their Mama- Mana suldan Abdirahman for many days. After her death her sister Fatima Suldan Abdirahman succeeded her to continue the charity work initiated by her sister but unfortunately Fatima was abducted on 30/06/2008, while she and 4 of her colleagues were travelling on the road between Merka and Mogadishu on their way to Italy.
The abduction of Fatima Suldan Abdirahiman;
An eyewitness travelling with Fatima at the day of the abduction said;
"we, a delegation of WFL from Merka were heading to Mogadishu Airport to attend a conference to be held in Italy, our trip started from Merka 110 km south of Mogadishu, after arduous journey with twists and turns because of the roughness of the unpaved road we reached N0.50 village just 50 km south of Mogadishu, when we reached N0 50 village I and my driver returned back to Merka to collect some documents we left behind and commutted again to Mogadishu, we have been in regular contact with Fatima via our mobile phones but, while they were a stone throw to Mogadishu and I was talking to one of her entourage suddenly the line dead and on subsequent attempts to reach them did not work. Later we learned that Fatima and her colleagues Mohamud Abdi Osan, Ali Maow, Mohamed Haji and their driver Mohamed Ise Bil were abducted. Hitherto no one claimed the responsibility of her abduction; all on going efforts to find any clue that could help reach and negotiate with her abductors failed, no one knows if they are still a live or killed".
Plea
WFL is a charity organization dedicated to help the needy people of Somalia especially those live in lower Shebelle, it never involved in politics and sided with any faction or a group of the warring parts of Somalia, it was people oriented in fulfilling its tasks by taking into account the priorities of its target groups as well as the culture and norms of its beneficiaries, so, Ayub orphanage children and WFL family in Merka, call upon those who hold Fatima Abdurahman and her colleagues captive to release her, so that she could continue her work which is the raison d'être of hundreds of young children who need her support.
They also, for the benefit of these young children call on Somali traditional elders, human right activists and all peace loving people in Somalia and around the world especially in Italy -who might have an influence in Somalia- to stand and work hard for the release of Fatima Suldan Abdirahman and her colleagues.
Photo: late Fatima Suldan Abdirahman
more information about Ayub orphanage Centre and Mama Mana could found here;
http://www.portal-info.ro/video/videoclip-ayuub_1_3-806048.html
http://www.portal-info.ro/video/videoclip-ayuub_3_3-806068.html
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