"I was inspired to study after I found out that people with special needs like me can study, " Farhiya said.


 Farhiya and I during the exam 


It is not easy when you have special needs to study with people who do not have it!  I met Farhiya Mohamud Mohamed at Mogadishu University when I was taking an exam. It was the first time in my life that I have taken an exam with a visually impaired person. On the 1st day of the exam, I thought that a special exam was prepared for her because she has special needs and is visually impaired, but I was surprised when I saw that the exam for all the students was also brought to her.

The subject she was taking the exam on that day was statistics. I asked Farhiyo about the subject she is taking and whether she is ready for the exam! She replied, "I am ready, write me the answers I will tell you".She had a lot of confidence.

Working on that subject took us a lot of time compared to other subjects because it involved a lot of operations and functions,  even including different graphs and figures for drawing. Farhia was very difficult because she is a blind person and she had to leave them.

What happens if she took the Braille-type exam, would it be difficult for her?!!


Farhiya Mohamud Mohamed 

Farhiya Mohamud Mohamed is a young girl in her twenties, she was born in the city of Adado in the Galgaduud region, but she grew up in Mogadishu. She is currently attending Mogadishu University and studying Social Work and she is in her 3rd year of study. Farhiya told me that she lost her eyes when she was only two years old she had a disease which was cancer then the doctors told her “that the eyes must be removed otherwise the disease will spread further" and that is how Farhiya's eyes were removed.

Farhiyo started her studies at Alnur Primary School, which is a school for blind students.   she said, "I was inspired to study after I found out that people like me can study "


3 challenges faced by Farhiyo 

  1. When she was at school sometimes Farhiyo and her friends faced safety issues which were affected by different situations like on the school bus or at the school, so they were stuck where they were even though they couldn't escape because they were all visually impaired.

  2.  When Farhiya reached high school she had to study with normal students and adapting to that new environment was a big problem for her because her former school Alnuur does not have a secondary school. She told me “some school teachers didn't know that I had special needs, therefore they used to write full lessons on the blackboard and immediately erased them. If I requested my seatmates to help me to spell out from the blackboard, either of us misses to write the lesson to spell out and write the lesson, she will miss the lesson, or I will miss”!

  3. "Studying with normal students is very challenging to me."said Farhia


Why did she choose to study social work?

"I like to advocate for people with special needs," concluded Farhiya.


My recommendations 

Disability is not inability and Farhiya is a shining example of how people with special needs can still study with ordinary ones. I suggest that Farhiya should be given support as she fulfils her goals in life. She is the first social work girl in Mogadishu with special needs that I have ever seen or heard of.


LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND!


Comments

  1. Yasin Abdi Caaley 20 December 2022 at 09:27

    Mnshllh , very interesting topic, and Farhia is a good example for other Somalis people. Thank you Mariam ,for your efforts and publishing this blog.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Nascence of Social Work Education in Somalia, Challenges, Opportunities and the Way Forward (2018–2026).

Image
  Presenting at the World Social Work Day 2026 event organized by City University of Mogadishu. Every year, World Social Workday and the broader celebration of Social Work Month provide an important global platform to highlight the contributions of social workers in advancing human rights, social justice, and community wellbeing. In 2026 , this celebration carries special significance for Somalia, where the formal social work profession is still young yet rapidly evolving. As countries worldwide recognize the essential role of social workers, Somalia is simultaneously nurturing its first generation of professionally trained practitioners—individuals who are shaping the future of social welfare in a nation emerging from decades of instability. This blog post, developed in honor of World Social Work Month 2026 , examines the historical development, current challenges, and future prospects of social work education in Somalia Historical Background: From Tradition to Professionalizati...
Read more

My reflection on the Blog Writing and Storytelling Training: "The month that my blogging dream came true"

Image
It’s very important to get a place where you can express your ideas and know how to share your thoughts with others in an appropriate manner. Blog writing becomes an essential skill nowadays because technology develops quickly, and everything becomes digitalized. Firstly, I had the desire to learn blog writing skills, and it is one of my dreams that I become a blogger one day. Finally, I am getting closer to becoming a regular blogger after the successful completion of an eye-opening blog writing training course at the Somali Public Agenda. I used to read more blogs that were written by some of my friends, the SPA team, especially internship reflections and others, and I really enjoyed it when I read them and I liked to become like them, and that made me love blogging even more. However, the biggest motivation was that I wanted to share with people my stories and experiences and hustle in my life such as my university journey, which was a wonderful story as I became one of the firs...
Read more

HADAFKII IIGU WAYNAA SANDKA 2022 EE AAN XAQIIJIYAY!!!😊😊

Image
Maalinta qalinjabinta 27da Oktobar,2022 Bilawga sanadkasta oo cusub waxaa jira hadafyo ay qof kastaa dhigato. Hadafkii iigu waynaa oo aan xaqiijiyay sanadka 2022 waxa uu ahaa in aan dhameeyo barashada taqasuska cilmiga adeegga Bulshada( Bachelor of Social work )   isla markaana aan naoqdo xirfadle adeege Bulsho ah( professional social worker ). Bilawgii Jaamacadda May,2018kii ayaan kasoo qalin badashtay iskuulkaygi hoose, dhaxe iyo sare ee Altadaamun ex(Wadajir sare). Ilaa iyo yaraanteydii waxaan ku hamin jiray in aan dadka caawiyo lkn maanan garaneynin cilmi labarto kaas oo dadka lagu caawiyo. Nasiib wanaag waxaa ii suurta gashay oo Ilaahay i waafajiyay in aan barto cilmiga Adeegga Bulshada(Social work) kaas oo aan ku taaami jiray. Faarax Maxamed Shiiqow waxa uu ahaa qofkii ka danbeeyay I laaahay ka sokow in aan noqdo qofka aan maantay  ahay, waana qofkii igu dhiiri galiyay in aan barto Cilmigga Adeega Bulshada. Difaacashada buuga qalin jabinta 15ka ,June,2022 Septembe...
Read more