Kismayo teenager uses artistic talent to support her former refugee family

Shukri Abdihakim Garweyne, 18, the eldest among her nine siblings in the southern Somali city of Kismayo, is thriving in an unusual career painting murals, after being forced to give up her secondary education to provide for her family.

“The money I get is enough to feed us, I am also able to put the younger siblings in Koranic school, while still paying the electricity bills and other necessities. Even the richest of us still have unmet needs, so this job has helped us,” said Shukri, who makes $300 a month from her artistic work.

Shukri and her family returned home to Kismayo from the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya in 2015. Their lives then changed abruptly as their father, who worked for the Jubaland army, was killed in the conflict with Al-Shabaab militia.

Shukri’s mother, Jawahir Abdullahi Mohamed, owned a small stall which made enough income to meet their family needs, but when they moved house it failed.

“We previously lived in the city and business was good. However, when we moved to Midnimo (village), five kilometres from the city, the business struggled due to the low number of people and eventually it shut down,” said Shukri.

Shukri was fortunate enough to be among 14 other youth who earned a free four-months’ training course on wall painting at the beginning of this year. The initiative was funded by the NGO Alight and the German development agency, GIZ.

“I got the information from a girl, and I looked for the people that were doing the training registration, and today our lives have improved” said Shukri.

Jawahir expressed mixed reaction to her daughter’s efforts, saying she knew Shukri loved education and had a tough decision between attending to the family’s needs or continuing school.

“When I was young, I wanted to become a journalist and I loved drawing, especially art that can speak,” Shukri said.

She gets the equipment from her trainer as she has not been able to save enough money to buy her own paint and brushes.

“Some of the challenges I face include the lack of overalls and the full attire, lack of equipment including the paint, brushes and ladders,” she said.

Omar Khalif, Shukri’s trainer who ran the course, told Radio Ergo she is the only one among the trainees who is making income using her skills. He described her as self-driven and passionate.

“I am confident that she can deliver if given a contract on painting and drawing. These skills will help her feed her family and herself. She is now working on her own, I sometimes call her for jobs,” he said.

Shukri’s clients are mainly new businesses requiring painting at their shops, education centres, and clinics, and sometimes existing businesspeople who want refurbishment for their premises.

Source: Radio Ergo