Somali Education and Health Organization
SEHO or Somali Education and Health Organization, is a non-profit NGO operating in Southern Somalia. SEHO has offices in three countries; Somalia, USA and Canada.
History
SEHO was founded in 2002. At the time, it operated computer and language school in Columbus, Ohio USA. The school was utilized by Somali immigrants in Ohio as well high school and college students who had difficult time adjusting to the new school systems.
Founders of the school decided to transfer some of the teaching materials, techniques and curriculum to schools in Somalia. The idea took hold soon after. The devastating drought of 2005 which hit Somalia and Kenya made efforts by SEHO volunteers even more meaningful.
The need to create center or an institution that develops mechanism to deal with human health (including sanitation services), animal health (veterinary services), and agricultural services. With this background, emerged SEHO. SEHO's first office in Somalia was opened in 2006 in Bardera, Gedo. The first activity of SEHO was the creation for a maternity center in Bardera. This community with an estimated population of over 100,000 didn't have specialized center for women and children. The district hospital has been closed for more than 14 years.
Few volunteers including Dr. Adan Loyan and Dr. Mohammed Jama Hashi who lived in Ohio at the time, collected basic medical equipment and supplies. The shipment was sent July 2007 to Bardera Maternity Hospital or East Bardera Mothers and Children's Hospital, short for EBMCH.
Current Non-Profit Operations
SEHO currently supports two well-utilized institutions. East Bardera Mothers and Children's Hospital [1] and its Westside maternity unit or West Bardera Maternity Unit , and Bardera Polytechnic. The school covers the agricultural services by having agricultural science department. Since mid 2008, the Maternity hospital and the school were collaborating on many issues facing the Bardera community.
For each year, during 2007 and 2008, EBMCH served over 3,000 people [2], mostly women and children. Services include prenatal to postpartum and children's basic health services.
Somali Diaspora Support for SEHO
All operations carried out by SEHO since 2006 have been made possible by Somali Diaspora Communities in Kenya, Canada, and USA. SEHO organizes fundraising and awareness efforts. Since there are functioning government institutions, caring individuals and professionals give SEHO material and financial support for the services it provides to the community.
==Links==
[www.somalisupportsecretariat.info/events/stories/seho.htm Profile of a Bright Nurse, Bardera Maternity Hospital Director, Nurse Luul Abdullahi Barre]