In the male-dominated Somali society, women have no or very little opportunities in higher education and employment. That forced most of the women in the region to be housewives or work in hard low-paying jobs such as cleaning, sewing and main street small businesses. Ironically, roughly more than 60% of the Somali families are supported by these women. They are the ones who provide for the whole family including their husbands and other dependents.
Kaalo Nederland who has been working in the humanitarian aid especially women and youth empowerment fields for a long time, has started a women empowerment education program. This program which is a two-year Diploma in Office Management is a fully-funded scholarship. The students are not charged with any money. Kaalo Nederland gives them free education, transport money and the study materials for each semester.
The objective of the project which was launched in July 2021 is to equip these young ladies with managerial skills, so they won’t have to be jobless, be forced to work on mundane low-paying jobs or depend on anyone financially. After completing this two-year diploma program, they will have highly-demanded skills which will benefit not only for them but also their families. Kaalo Nederland is also planning to make job placements for the top students when they graduate. We also intend to continue working in the fields of empowerment and education as such projects proved that they are quite effective and more sustainable