SUN MEDIA
By KENNETH JACKSON
The rich kids go to private schools.
So why try and build a public school in a corrupt country that's been torn apart by civil war for the past 17 years?
The reason is simple even if the task is nearly impossible -- a symbol of hope.
"I'm not saying we'll save the country, but if we build (one) school it will be a symbol of hope," says Mahamud Elmi, a constable with the Ottawa police.
Elmi knows the odds are against him but he's throwing caution to the wind and digging in his heels.
He's trying to raise about $36,000.
SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
He started his fundraising drive yesterday with the inaugural Softball Tournament for Somali Schools at Carlington Park, which was attended by cops, firefighters, members of the Canadian Forces and others.
The goal of the event was to raise up to $10,000, and organizers got about a third or more of the way there.
"It's not going to be easy," admits Elmi, who spent about four years in a Kenyan refugee camp before immigrating to Canada with his aunt in 1996, forced to leave his parents behind in Somalia.
He knows there will be obstacles and challenges but believes if "we work hard at it, we'll be able to overcome them."
One of the biggest challenges will be to make sure the money is spent properly in Somalia.
OVERSEE PROJECT
That's why he plans to go to there and ensure his vision is realized -- a five-classroom school that focuses on teaching subjects in English.
"I want to go over there and be part of it," says Elmi, who knows you don't just hand over a pile of cash in Somalia. "You don't know if it will be built."
It's a long-term project that's expected to take up to four years to complete, and includes making certain the plans are correct and great teachers are hired.
Elmi, who joined the Ottawa police force as a civilian in 2003 and has been a cop for about 2 1/2 years, returned to his homeland for the first time in April.
He was troubled by the lack of hope for Somalia's youth. When he got back to Canada, he had a goal of raising money to help take children away from checkpoints and into classrooms.
Source: Sun Media, Sept 21, 2008