A Model of Determination and Courage
Khat Seller not Dr Hodan |
By: Abdirahman Adan Mohamoud
In this vastly-growing world, we often
hear stories about inspiring people. We read tales from rags to riches, from
school drop outs to highly successful software programmers, to chief executives
and presidents. The below story, is not less interesting, I hope, than those
heralded in the leading Newspapers and best seller books.
Dr. Hodan Jama is a mother of 7 children and she happily
lives with her husband along with their children in Borama town. As they were a
low-income family, both Hodan and her husband had to work together to win
against the odds of life and hence Dr. Hodan had to go out and do petty
activities to help her family survive.
Determined to come up with a long lasting solution to her
family's financial constraints, Dr. Hodan decided to continue and intensify her
struggle towards a decent living for the family.
To achieve this goal, this struggle took her to many
spectrums of life. It took her to tough occupations and trying circumstances.
In order to help meet basic education needs of her children, she started to
work at Annallena Tonneli TB Hospital as a focal point for the fight against
Female Genital Mutilation and then Borama Regional Hospital as an auxiliary
nurse.
While she was there, she intensified the realization of
her childhood dream in which she fantasized about becoming a medical doctor and
helping women and children obtain access to health services.
However, still her earning could not suffice her family
basic needs; therefore, she opted for selling Kat in the streets of Borama to
supplement their meager income. Generally, female-headed families are often
involved in Kat- selling and they are repeatedly subjected to bad debt,
countless mal-treatment as well as discrediting one's dignity and Hodan was not
an exception. She nevertheless tolerated all these unscrupulous and humiliating
acts for the sake of her family.
Though her time was primarily preoccupied with helping
her husband secure livelihood of her family, she never gave up her strong
desire for further education. In an effort to enhance her competency, she
consequently joined different schools. She registered a Diploma program at
Amoud Agriculture School, which was at the time supported by a foreign NGO.
Later on, she would also earn another Diploma in Business
Administration from Amoud University.
Interestingly, she earned these certificates while she
was selling Kat! As an extra-curricular activity, she was also a founding
member of Africa Youth Development Association (AYODA), one of the most
successful and prominent local organizations in Borama. However, the
fundamental change of her life took place when she managed to enroll at the
medical school of Amoud University. Students with high grades are only eligible
to register in this faculty, thus competition was understandably high.
Furthermore, one would not miss to realistically assess
the burden shouldered on a normal medical student, not to mention the additional
family responsibilities left on such a daring and determined parent. Yet, she
skillfully managed to simultaneously continue her studies successfully and take
care of her family to the best of her ability.
khat selling and chewing is big income biznesskhat
selling and chewing is big income bizness
After seven years of successfully balancing the complex
pressure of a mother with seven children and the challenging and demanding
study schedule, she succeeded to graduate with honor. In the graduation ceremony,
dressed in graduation gowns, she attracted the hearts and minds of the
attendees as her well-dressed children and her husband, were proudly sitting
next to her in a cheerful mood.
It was a moment she truly deserved to see! Ceremony
attendees, perhaps admiring her accomplishment, honored her with standing
ovation and prolonged applause.
It is, nevertheless, very rare to see a young mother with
these wonderful achievements. Her resilience and determination are the
magnet-like features that engrossed the attention of those who were present or
have heard her story. Unlike many Somali fathers, her husband truly
demonstrated a sense of parenthood and seriousness as he encouraged her to
continue studies and more importantly, provided the required material and moral
support to her.
It is very unusual to see a mother with seven children
but yet going to school, let alone a mother like Dr. Hodan, with her multiple
responsibilities and achievements.
khat selling and chewing is big income bizness |
Paradoxically, in this case, we have a female medical student
who was once making her families' earnings from Kat-selling and at the same
time was the second bread-winner of her relatively extended family; a
combination seldom observed.
In conclusion, this is a wake-up call to everyone
particularly to women. Dr. Hodan is a model of courage and determination. Her
journey is unique but doable by others too. And this is a good lesson to all.
Above all, we have learnt from her, what matters to make change in your life is
to have a well-defined target, persistent determination and hard work. Anyone
can replicate this and do the same if they are committed!
Her fantasy in the near future is to offer greater help
to the needy people, predominantly women and children and as such contribute to
the betterment of health services. For this reason, she is presently doing her
specialization in Family Medicine at Amoud's Medical School.
Ps:
1. I would to express my gratitude to Dr. Hodan Jama for
accepting our request to publish her story and share it with readers. My
appreciation also goes to Mohamed-Deeq Omer for conducting the interview and
providing coordination support.
2. This story is part of a series of "Untold
Stories" that the afore-mentioned writer periodically publishes to unveil
the local unsung talents. Other articles of this series include, The Dean of
Shoe-shiners and The Resilient Medical Student. Untold stories are a bilingual
series that can be available at www.horusocod.blogspot.com, both in Somali and
English languages.
Abdirahman Adan Mohamoud
abdirahman.adan@gmail.com
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