Ramla Ahmed
Child and Family Case Worker, Action of Somali Social Workers (ACSOS)
Overview of role
My primary role as a child and family case worker is to coordinate services for drought-affected families and children and to monitor the well-being of children at high risk. I provide various services for children and families affected by droughts, including providing them with basic needs such as shelter, food and water. I also provide guidance and counseling for parents and make referrals to hospitals for children and women with critical health conditions. I believe as case workers, my team and I are doing great work and we believe that we are changing and impacting the lives of vulnerable children and families.
Motivation
I am glad to be a social worker working with children and families. I like learning from the current social climate, and I appreciate it when kids and families look to me to help them solve the issues they are facing. I work closely with some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, to build on their strengths and feel I truly contribute to improving their lives. I find it rewarding when I visit a client for a monitoring visit and see considerable improvement and I am satisfied, joyful and hopeful for the future of social work.
Education/Training
I have a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from the School of Social Work at Mogadishu University. As a social worker in Somalia, there are limited training and capacity-building programs, because there are no funds to enhance the capacity of social workers and there is a lack of places to develop skills and knowledge of social work. However, I was fortunate to be able to recieve additional training through the Action of Somali Social Workers (ACSOS). I think the lack of capacity-building opportunities is a weak point and challenge for caseworkers in Somalia.
Most challenging aspect of my job
The most challenging aspect of my job is the emotional stress that comes with seeing the extreme cases of injustice and abuse among some of the most vulnerable and marginalized client populations.
Impact of drought in Somalia on role
My role changed a little bit when the drought in Somalia affected nearly half the population and people were displaced from their homes. At this time, people's most urgent needs were no longer for the type of services I provided before the drought, such as counseling. Instead, they are now more in need of receiving food, water, health services and shelter. So, it is now my role to collect resources like food, water, menstrual hygiene kits and non-food items and to make referrals for shelter and to hospitals for serious health issues for children who are severely malnourished.
My Motto
“As a Child and family case worker, I work day and night to see their smiling faces and stop them from crying”
