The School of Agriculture
The Sahara Desert, which separates Africa's north from the center of the continent, has an area large enough to cover the United States. For countries geographically located in the south of the desert, the term "sub-Saharan" is used. With a population of 12 million people, Somalia, located in the east of the continent, is one of the sub-Saharan countries. With about 60 million pet owners, farming is one of the largest incomes in the country. Although there is suitable land for Agriculture that can be harvested four times a year, the drought is negatively affecting the day to day life of people. According to official records, the severe drought which strikes the sub-Saharan countries nearly every decade not only destroys farmland but also results in many deaths.
The Sahara Desert located in northern Africa, is the world's largest hot desert. 9,000,000 square kilometers in size, the giant desert separates the north and center of the continent.
The last time thousands of people lost their lives in such a drought was in 2011. After this incident, our foundation opened thousands of wells across Somalia. Our team not only helped to deliver basic humanitarian aid, but also developed projects to fight the drought. In order to not wait for assistance from the outside to provide basic food needs, the establishment of the Agricultural school in 2013, was one of these sustainable projects.
While businessmen are helping to transform large areas of land to harvest crops, the Somali people have no information about how to utilize their lands and gardens in their homes to grow produce. The school of Agriculture and water wells, established during the time of the drought, carry the purpose of providing people training on agricultural so they can meet their own needs. Close to one thousand students who graduate from this school can easily return back to the place they live and train people in their region.
IHH has opened 1,569 water wells in Somalia (As of January 2016)
After providing training for two years, Somali Agricultural school, lived through a comprehensive development process last year and opened the "Anatolia Faculty of Agriculture." Students can now learn about agriculture for their home, seed breeding, soil analysis and making large areas suitable to harvest crops. At the same time, the faculty provided a means whereby the Somali ZemZem University was established as its umbrella organization. The Faculty of Medicine also recently opened in the university. With leadership of IHH, the university was established. The project not only helps students to receive good education but is a great investment for economic and social development in Somalia. The seeds planed in the school of Agriculture continues to sprout during the drought period in Somalia.
