I was born different. I am one of 12 children, female, and born in the country of Somaliland. I was born without a left arm, and I vividly remember praying in silent every night hoping God will accept my prayers and I would wake up with a second one. However, my country context, physical disability and gender ended up being the reason I am where I am today, proving that opportunity comes out of difference.
Many people don’t know much about my country. After a destructive civil war in 1991, four years before I was born.
The main religion in Somaliland is Islam and culturally conservative, which often translates to difficulties for girls like me to access higher education. Because of my disability, my parents sent me away from home to Burao to live with my aunt and uncle. My uncle, a self-taught anentrepreneur, was different- he was very optimistic about my future. He once told me, “I want you to take advantage of every opportunity you get. I want you be self-sufficient and make informed choices about your future.” He knew that education is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and cultural ideals of women in my community. Despite my difference, I was no exception to the expectations he had for his daughters, sons, and nieces and nephews.
A girl in my family had never attended high school. To the shock of my family, my uncle helped me enroll at
I am proud of how far Somaliland has come since declaring its independence but there is a long way to go. Somaliland’s unemployment rate estimated at
I am an honors student in my sophomore year at Marist College, I chose to study psychology to address the serious need to treat mental illness, particularly post-conflict induced stress in Somaliland. Individuals who struggle with mental illness are either chained or left alone to roam around the streets. Instead of addressing the problem, it is ignored and sick people are stigmatized. One needs mental stability and a place to ask for help without shame, particularly as a society recovers from conflict. Providing access and promoting the importance of self-care will heal Somaliland, allowing us to take our difficult history and move forward. It will inspire youth to forge their own path and find their passions.
I had first-hand experience of what feels like to not belong in your own community, but I am not a victim. I am taking a different approach to development, despite my family’s expectation that I should be a doctor, accountant, or engineer. I am proud of my differences, and I hope to channel them to inspire positive changes. I want to serve those who live in the shadow and be a source of hope for a healthier society. I need to understand my community’s culture of conformity and the behaviors that are making development and peace difficult. I encourage my fellow young people to embrace what makes them different and use it to change the world.
