DARING TO DREAM- THE INSPIRING STORY OF HAMDI MOHAMED- A YOUNG BEEKEEPER IN SOMALIA

As we mark International Youth Skills Day, we bring you the story of a young girl who dared to be different, thanks to the support she got from SOS Children's Home.

Donning a pink full-body beekeeping suit, Hamdi Mohamed confidently walks towards a set of beehives lined up in a row. You can hear the busy bees' low but constant humming sound from meters away.  But for Hamdi, this has been her routine for years now. As she prepares to harvest her honey, Hamdi- a young, dedicated, and hardworking female beekeeper, reflects on her journey.

"When I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, my dream was to start my own business and create employment opportunities for my classmates", said Hamdi.

"Unfortunately, I did not have the business skills and, more importantly, the investment funds to create a startup", she added.

But luckily for her, she got accepted into the SOS Children's Village youth empowerment project known as the Next Economy Project.

"I chose to pursue entrepreneurship skills, and some of the training and workshops I attended included business ideas on how to look for investment through crowdfunding, marketing, customer satisfaction, business plan development and startup financial management. When I finished the four months of training, SOS Children's Village awarded me a startup fund to open my business," said Hamdi.   

Armed with business skills and a startup Fund, Hamdi swiftly moved into the second phase, which was to decide which business to venture into. Unlike many other Women and girls in Somalia, Hamdi dared to venture into a male-dominated business sector- Beekeeping.

"Most people, especially Women, do not aspire to be beekeepers because of their phobia of bees, but if you are determined to become a honey business owner, you will do whatever it takes to achieve your goal", said Hamdi Mohamed.

Her determination to fulfil her dreams has pushed her into the Beekeeping business, and today, she doesn't regret ever making that decision.

As we mark International Youth Skills Day, SOS Children's Home is glad to share Hamdi's success story.

"Today, I am a happy beekeeper, and I produce enough honey, which gives me a good profit," said Hamdi, smiling.

"I am financially independent, thanks to the training and the startup fund", said Hamdi Mohamed. Adding that she is not yet finished, "I am still dreaming of creating other businesses so that I continue to inspire other young Women and Girls like me," she concludes.