Welcome!
The Somali Jareer Youth Action Council is an initiative program to improve the progress of the Jareer youth in the United States. Learn more.
Scholarship Application Deadline: Coming Soon
Who We Are
The Somali Jareer are an ethnic group from Somalia, largely from the Shebelle and Jubba River valleys in the Southwestern part of the country. Somali Jareer are ethnically and culturally somewhat different from the Somali Jileec population, made up of the Cushitic Somali clan. Because of these differences, the other Somali Jileec communities have systemically pushed out the Jareer and deprived them of educational opportunities and political opportunities. Thus, the Jareer are the only group of people who are majority of a nation but are categorized as minority and lack recognition from the international community of the position they hold in Somalia.
We believe there is a need to help provide services that specifically cater to the needs of Jareer communities to improve their conditions. We want to provide a platform for accurate information and education about the Jareer.
The Somali Jareer Youth Action Council is an initiative program to improve the progress of the Jareer youth in the United States. We seek to close the generational gap of access to education, increase the global recognition of our people and combat the false narrative that exists in mainstream media.
We strongly believe that education is the key to the world. Access to education allows youth to change the narrative and stereotypes of their communities.
Furthermore, we hope to create other programs that will allow us to close the gap between the current generation of Jareer and the older generation of Jareer to maintain their identity.
Student Spotlight: Meet Hawo Sadik
In 2020, I graduated from City Honors School in Buffalo, New York. During my time there, I took part in were Chemistry Club, Bioinformatics Club, and Coding Club. I also joined Ade Jembe Fola, the school’s African Drumming and Dancing Troupe. I was a member of Interact which was a student lead outreach program focused on highlighting the needs of underrepresented and marginalized groups within the local community.
Currently I am attending Cornell University–major undecided–on the pre-pharmacy track to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in the future.
Partner with the Somali Jareer Youth Action Council
Meet Our Founders
Aden Sadik Mabruk was born in Somalia but grew up in Kenya, Dadaab Refugee Camp. When he came to the United States at 16 years of age, he was illiterate (couldn’t speak English or read or write). While living in Dadaab Refugee Camp, Aden’s parents tried to send him to school, but he chose not to attend. At the time, he did not see the need for school. This is because he noticed that while many of his peers were excelling in school, it didn’t seem to make any difference in their life. Wealthy students often bought their way up to the ladder by bribing teachers or buying poor students’ test scores.
When Aden came to the United States, he regretted skipping school because he could at least have learned how to read or write. This realization gave him the drive and the hunger to better himself. Aden worked hard to catch up to American students who were way ahead of him educationally. This was no easy feat to achieve. Aden attended Richland Northeast High School and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Secondary Mathematics Education.
Aden’s journey allowed him to think far beyond himself and led to the idea for the Somalia Bantu Scholarship. When Aden attended university, he didn’t have the financial backing that many other students had. Aden worked in between classes to provide for himself and his family. Juggling his school schedule and work schedule affected his grades. However, he was determined to finish even if it took longer to graduate.
Aden’s struggle is common in the Jareer community and has a direct correlation to dropout rates. Aden created the Somalia Bantu Youth Action Council to help solve this problem. The organization exists to build a proper foundation that addresses the needs of future generations of Jareer students.
Ahmed Ali is a Somali born in Kenya’s Dadaab Refugee Camp. Like many Somali youth, Ahmed didn’t know how to speak English when he came to the United States. He quickly realized the importance of education.
Ahmed worked to further his education by attending Union High School and eventually Grand Valley State University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science.
Ahmed saw the need for a program that offers economic and educational services to the Jareer Community, so he helped launch the Somalia Bantu Scholarship. This program is designed to help the next generation of Jareer youth. Ahmed strongly believes that supporting future Jareer leaders will help preserve their culture and way of life.
Ahmed currently works in the healthcare industry and plans to pursue politics in the future.
Do You Need Help? Are You Ready to Help?
We want to hear from you.