A new lease of life for Somali children in their new home

Right from the beginning of a relationship there must be a thread of love between the man and the woman. Without showing signs of love, passion, care and protection, love can not thrive and the relationship could not be brought to its fruitful culmination.

As the pair keep nourishing their relationshi with respect, love and understanding, a bond of love will be established which shall grow stronger as time goes by.

Not only that but the relationship would develop into a a deeper stage of sexual contact, marriage and pregnancy.
By the time the women conceives, a piece of joy shines in the hearts of the would-be parents and their love would flourish with increased intimacy and fervour.

When the baby is born, a blanket of love is waiting for him to be wrapped and sheltered from anything that might harm it. The cycle of love completes at birth but never ends there as the child will remain the source of stability and love of the family.

It is pity that in some countries a child is not provided with the necessary emotional and psychological support such as love and attention. After all a child is a gift of love sent by God, the Almighty and parents are only the custodians of that gift, not the owners of a human property as some of them might think.

Parents must be thankful to Him by reciprocating this gift of Hope with being kind lovely and symathetic to the child. Beating the child is absolutely illegal and parents who have come from such cultures should do away with the habit of child harrassing. It is in the interest of the parent and the child as well to allow their children to grow in a harmonious environment quite appropriate to the growth and development of the child.

In the developed countries, the child grows in a world of plenty while the child from a poor country is brought up in an environment of shortages. Children are supposed to be nurtured within the ramparts of love from early stages of infancy to adulthood to make them the right citizens who can effectively run the affairs of their nation in the long run.

But in the developing countries, the situation is different. Poverty and dictatorial regimes deny the children the right to enjoy their child rights.

A large percentage of the children born in these countries die before their first year of life while a comparable number perish shortly before their fifth birthday due to lack of proper food and medical care.

The most devastating child killers in Africa particularly Somalia are the vaccine preventable diseases such as polio, whooping cough, tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertusis etc. Those who are lucky enough would make the journey safely to their sixth birthday and the luckier ones would attend primary education in their respective locaalities.

It is not without good reason that there is a widespread despondency and destituion in poor countries like Somalia where fighting between factions has plunged the nation into much deeper pits of misery.

Due to the escalating tension and war in Somalia where islamic insurgents are fighting with an Ethjiopian backed government, many people have left the country to seek protection and safe haven in other countries of Europe and America.

Sweden is one of those countries overwhelmed by an influx of immigrants who are running away from killing and prosecution by armed groups operating in their own countries. The town of Södrehamn where I now live has got its own share of these immigrants and now there are refugees from war-torn nations such as Iraq and Somalia and many other countries shattered by wars and internal conflicts.

As a journalist who is himself an immigrant, I have closely been observing the condition of the immigrant children in södrehamn and found out that they have at least attained peace and stability in their new home. There is no fear of being killed by stray rockets and flying bullets.

There is no fear of seeing a child lying dead in the middle of the road after being caught in a cross fire exchanged by gunmen belonging to different tribal factions. Somali Children have found a new lease of life in their new country of Sweden and I hope they shall integerate with the people of Sweden to become active citiens of this nation.