Forced to relocate to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Cadceed, his family struggled with overcrowding, scarce resources and limited access to education.

At the Cadceed IDP camp in Kismayo, his mother faced harsh economic realities but was determined Yusuf get an education and grow his love for numbers and problem-solving. She enrolled Yusuf in Primary School, constructed by the Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS), with the support of the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). But even then, her struggle continued. She found it difficult to provide Yusuf with essential learning materials, an obstacle that sometimes kept him from attending school.

Hope came through support from Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Somalia, ALWS and the ANCP. School kits were distributed, with exercise books, pens, erasers, sharpeners and a school bag. For Yusuf, these simple tools meant everything.

“Before, I had days when I couldn't even write because I had no pen. Now, I can focus fully on my studies and become the best I can be with the help of these learning materials,” he said.

He now stands out as the best-performing student in his class. “I want to be a math teacher one day so I can help other children, just like me, understand the beauty of numbers.  I will never stop learning”. He is an inspiration for his younger siblings, who now want to go to school too.

He shares, “Education is the most powerful weapon one could ever acquire and that’s where I am heading now. My dream is to become a mathematics teacher, helping children see the beauty of numbers and showing them how learning can transform their lives”.