 | |
| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Kasim Ali |
| Type | NGO |
| Focus | development |
| Location | |
Area served | Somalia Djibouti |
| Method | event planning, scouting |
| Website | worldwidesomalistudents.com |
Worldwide Somali Students & Professionals (WSSP) is a Somali non-governmental organization.
The WSSP was established in 2010 at the University College London (UCL) by a group of students. It is non-political and non-ideological in its outlook, with representatives in over 40 countries around the world. The foundation also hosts both local and virtual events to raise awareness and support for its activities. [1]
In a 2012 interview conducted by Ohio State University, the WSSP's founder Kasim Ali described his organization as a global movement that aims to recruit Somali students and professionals working in the fields of engineering, healthcare, education and agriculture, and enlist their services in Somalia's ongoing post-conflict reconstruction process. [2] The WSSP is also liaising with Somali professionals in business and transportation, among other sectors. [1]
In response to the 2011 Eastern Africa drought, WSSP operated a food distribution center during the holy month of Ramadan for 1000 internally displaced people in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. [1] Contributions came from Somali students and professionals from around the world, with WSSP youngsters running operations on the ground. [3]
After extensive consultations with Somali stakeholders, the WSSP launched in 2012 its flagship grassroots initiative, tentatively titled Operation Restore Hope. Later renamed Operation Restore Home 2012, [4] the campaign was inaugurated in Columbus, Ohio since the city hosts one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, second only to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. [2]
The initiative endeavors to mobilize around 1000 qualified Somali youth from the diaspora to repatriate in the summer of 2012. Members are then expected to pool their resources and knowledge to carry out projects in the areas of agriculture, education, health and medicine. [1] [4]
Enlisted students cover their own ticketing costs, and are scheduled to visit around ten cities in Somalia over a period of three months. [2] [5]
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is a country in the Horn of Africa. The country is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Kenya to the southwest. Somalia has the longest coastline on Africa's mainland. Its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains, and highlands. Hot conditions prevail year-round, with periodic monsoon winds and irregular rainfall. Somalia has an estimated population of around 17.1 million, of which over 2 million live in the capital and largest city Mogadishu, and has been described as Africa's most culturally homogeneous country. Around 85% of its residents are ethnic Somalis, who have historically inhabited the country's north. Ethnic minorities are largely concentrated in the south. The official languages of Somalia are Somali and Arabic. Most people in the country are Muslims, the majority of them Sunni.
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Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia, and has an estimated urban population of 2,610,483. Mogadishu is located in the coastal Banadir region on the Indian Ocean, which unlike other Somali regions, is considered a municipality rather than a maamul goboleed.
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Puntland, officially the Puntland State of Somalia, is a Federal Member State in northeastern Somalia. The capital city is the city of Garoowe in the Nugal region, and its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Geographically to the west, Puntland lays claim to the intra-46th meridian territories that were outside European colonial rule during parts of the Scramble for Africa period.
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The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed Forces began engaging in combat against various armed rebel groups, including the Somali Salvation Democratic Front in the northeast, the Somali National Movement in the northwest, and the United Somali Congress in the south. The clan-based armed opposition groups overthrew the Barre government in 1991.
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities" which are broad and long-term agreements formally recognized by civic leaders. A total of 1,800 cities, states, and counties have partnered in 138 countries worldwide.
The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative, UNITAF was charged with carrying out United Nations Security Council Resolution 794 to create a protected environment for conducting humanitarian operations in the southern half of the country.
Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a private Danish humanitarian nonprofit organization, founded in 1956. It serves as an umbrella organization for 33 member organizations.
A mine clearance organization, or demining organization, is an organization involved in the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) for military, humanitarian, or commercial reasons. Demining includes mine clearance, as well as surveying, mapping and marking of hazardous areas.
The Somali National Front (SNF) was a politico-military organization that operated in southern Somalia during the Somali Civil War and represented one of the major factions involved in the conflict.
The United States Africa Command is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U.S. military operations, including fighting regional conflicts and maintaining military relations with 53 African nations. Its area of responsibility covers all of Africa except Egypt, which is within the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command. U.S. AFRICOM headquarters operating budget was $276 million in fiscal year 2012.
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