STORY: AMISOM kick starts reconstruction works for

Qamar Primary School in Mogadishu

DURATION: 1:33
SOURCE: AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH NATURAL SOUND
DATELINE: 24/NOVEMBER/2018, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOT LIST:

1. Wide shot, exterior of Qamar Primary School in Mogadishu

2. Med shot, Qamar Primary School in Mogadishu
3. Med shot, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, The Special Representative of the
Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia,walking into
the school
4. Med school, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, The Special Representative of
the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia meeting
up with Ms. Deqa Yasin Haji, the Federal Minister of Women, Gender and
Human Rights Development at the school
5. Med shot, room with broken furniture at the school
6. Med shot, Ms. Deqa Yasin Haji, the Federal Minister of Women, Gender and
Human Rights Development interacting with the SRCC
7. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) MS. DEQA YASIN HAJI, THE FEDERAL MINISTER OF
WOMEN, GENDER AND HUMAN RIGHTS DEVELOPMENT
“I thank AMISOM for supporting this. I think this is the best way to have
children back into the classrooms. This is the best way we can secure their
future and I thank you for this”.

8. Wide shot, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, The Special Representative of the

Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia interacting
with Ms. Deqa Yasin Haji, the Federal Minister of Women, Gender and
Human Rights Development
9. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) AMBASSADOR FRANCISCO MADEIRA, THE SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION
COMMISSION (SRCC) FOR SOMALIA
“The fact that we are here together today, is testimony of our commitment
of your Government and our own organisation that this is the right way to
go”.

10. Med shot, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, The Special Representative of the
Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia shaking
 hands with Ms. Deqa Yasin Haji, the Federal Minister of Women, Gender and
Human Rights Development
11. SOUNDBITE: (ENGLISH) ANDREW AREMO ALELE, AMISOM CIVIL ENGINEER
“As you can see there is a lot of damage that was done during a terrorist
attack. So, the African Union is going to support this infrastructure
rehabilitation starting from today. The contractor is on the ground to start
the works immediately.”

12. Med shot, stairway with litter

13. Mid shot, destroyed roof at the school

STORY

AMISOM kick starts reconstruction works for Qamar Primary School in Mogadishu

Mogadishu, 24 November 2018 - The Special Representative of the Chairperson of

the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Caetano
Madeira, today presided over the groundbreaking ceremony of construction works
at Dr. Qamar Primary School in Mogadishu.

The school was established in December 2009 in memory of Dr. Qamar Aden Ali, a
former Health Minister in Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, who was killed
in a terror attack in the capital.

AMISOM was requested by the Federal Government to provide support in the

rehabilitation of the school, which suffered sustained attacks by al-Qaeda affiliated
extremists, Al-Shabaab, leading to its closure in 2016.

“This is the best way we can secure the future of Somali children,” said Ms. Deqa
Yasin Haji, the Federal Minister of Women, Gender and Human Rights Development,
during the groundbreaking ceremony, in the city’s Warta Nabada district.

Minister Deqa lauded AMISOM’s support, which she noted was a demonstration of
the Mission’s commitment to seeing Somalia’s children attain an education.

Before it’s closure, the institution, founded to provide care, support and free
education to over five-hundred vulnerable children in Mogadishu, among them
orphans and street children, suffered a series of bombardments from Al-Shabaab.
The attacks destroyed classrooms and the school’s facilities, rendering the institution
inhabitable.

The reconstruction works by AMISOM will ensure the children return to school after
a two-year hiatus.

“Our presence here today is a testimony of our commitment to the Federal

Government and to the children of Somalia,” said Ambassador Madeira, who also
emphasized the AU Mission’s commitment to creating a peaceful and conducive
environment in Somalia, to enable all children attain an education.

Ambassador Madeira was flanked at the brief groundbreaking ceremony by Lt. Gen.
Osman Noor Soubagleh - the Military Advisor to the AU Special Representative for
Somalia; Mr. Kareem Adebayo - the Head of the Protection, Human Rights and
Gender Unit at AMISOM and Mr. Andrew Aremo Alele - the AMISOM Civil Engineer.

END