January 08th, 2010

Somali Girls at school

Unfortunately this first is not a happy story. Fathiya Hassan is 12-years-old and she is the first female car-washer in Hargeisa the capital of Somaliland. Washing cars is a common way to make money but thus far has been a job dominated by men.

She says that she would give up her job if she was able to go to school however she comes from a family of 11 and this is the way she helps out at home. She earns about $1.60 a day.

Literacy for women in Somalia is less than 26%. Primary school enrollment is about 35% and only a third of that is girls.

Hassan says that most of her clients are women and she likes them more because “they respect me more than the male car owners.”