As students in one of the top school districts in the country, it is sometimes easy to take education for granted. But for students in Somalia, receiving a quality education is most often an unaffordable luxury.

“WakeUpSomalia,” is a student-based organization at AHS that strives to make education affordable and accessible to children all over the country.

“We really started this organization out of the deep anguish we had from the fact that we knew, on a daily basis, that our family, peoples and nation were living in utter ruins and suffering,” said co-founder Sahnun Mohamud, “This anguish fortunately translated into positive energy, thus WakeUpSomalia was created.”

Since Somalia’s government collapsed in 1991, the country has struggled to maintain stability. Lately, Somalia has been making headlines for piracy in the Indian Ocean, which in April of 2009 threatened the life of American cargo-ship captain, Richard Phillips.

The instability has also resulted in poverty rates that have risen so much that it is currently estimated that over 43% of the population survives on less than one dollar a day. U.N. officials even admit that Somalia suffers from higher malnutrition rates and incidents of bloodshed than in Darfur. This was just one other reason for starting the group.

“Once we understood that fact that Somalia was the worst humanitarian disaster in Africa, we were inspired when the two of us realized the immense potential we had to make a difference, the same of which potential we can affirm lies within each and every one of us as human beings.”

“WakeUpSomalia,” is founded upon the idea that education is the best solution to the problems affecting the people of Somalia. It is their belief, that education will reduce internal conflict as well as the government’s dependence on foreign aid.

In order to accomplish this goal, the group has come up with a plan to “Revolutionize Somalia’s education system by bringing back the ideology of free schooling through opening tuition-free schools all around the nation.”

Because so few schools currently exist in the country, and the majority of those that do are private, the number of families that can afford schooling is limited. That was the inspiration behind the plan for “online education.”

According to co-founder Bashir Warsame, the goal is “starting off each classroom with one laptop and a projector, where the projector will project the course to the class as a whole, and the teacher will guide the students through the course and advise them.”

Though the proto-type for this project will be a one-roomed school with one teacher, a projector, and a laptop, “WakeUpSomalia” hopes to expand the system after proving its effectiveness. The organization hopes to be able to provide teachers and students all over Somalia with the necessary supplies, equipment, and curriculums.

Some AHS students has showed approval and admiration by joining the WakeUpSomalia group on facebook. “I think what they are doing is really cool, especially because of all we have recently heard about the pirates and everything there,” said sophomore Helina Daniel.

Prospective students will first be selected based on financials, but if necessary on other criteria: an interview that will be conducted VIA webcam.

Teachers will be fluent in both English and Somali, which allows for communication between the organization and the teacher. They will also have access to the online curriculum that can help them create lesson plans and notes for the children.

Since the club was founded, they have been able to make enormous progress. This includes being given status as a corperation by the state of Virginia, receiving their EIN number, and Meeting with people from World Bank, AED, Save the Children, as well as various other organizations. They have also held their first fundraiser, gotten a fiscal sponsorship, won a $1000 grant at a DoSomething Non-Profit Conference, and were interviewed by VOA.

They are currently working with notable Somali-Artists to create a WakeUpSomalia infomercial and are nearly at the halfway point in obtaining the necessary funding needed to reach their goal of ten thousand dollars, the sum needed to created the new school.  However, perhaps one of their most important feats was communicating with and winning the support of the leader of the region in which they intend to build the first school.

“This  [Promotional] Video will be a major fundraising asset, seeing as how we will have the attention of the Somali fanbase of these artists as well as newfound credibility,” said Mohamud.

In addition to their many accomplishments to date, the group continues to move forward and progress through numerous fundraisers. Several fundraisers are currently in the works, one of which will premiere their promotional video. WakeUpSomalia also plans on holding a collaborative fundraiser with the East African Club, and will also be participating in the Just World Foundation.