Reflections and a Request
Dear Abaarso Community,
I’m happy to write you from our rapidly expanding operations here in Somaliland. While I’m so proud of all our accomplishments in our first decade, what’s even more motivating is the pace at which we are our expanding our reach within Somaliland. We are executing on our mission created ten years ago to provide high-quality education for Somali boys and girls, so they can effectively and ethically advance their society as the leaders of tomorrow. Our passion and ambitions are rooted in realism, as the heavy lifting has already been done; scaling our impact should prove much easier than establishing the initial foundation. I’ll talk more about our ambitious goals, but first, I would like to reflect on what we achieved together in 2019:
● 35 students earned full scholarships to study abroad last year, heading to boarding schools including Choate Rosemary Hall, Lawrenceville and an array of United World Colleges, as well as colleges and universities around the globe, including Columbia and Georgetown. Currently, 80 students in total are studying in the United States or embarking on the first chapter of their careers following college graduation. The Abaarso community was also thrilled to welcome new head Trudy Hall, formerly head of Emma Willard School in Troy, NY.
● Our women’s college, Barwaaqo University, began its third birthday by doubling its student population to 100. Under Ava Ramberg’s leadership, Barwaaqo has rapidly gone from an idea to a thriving institution ready to scale. We believe Barwaaqo is already the most rigorous higher-education institution in Somaliland, and USAID grants received totaling $3,200,000 in recent years will allow us to improve the campus while expanding it to handle 480 students.
● In September, we opened the first of what will be dozens of Montessori-Inspired K-12 schools across Somaliland. Under the leadership of Abaarso’s former Assistant Headmaster, Harry Lee, these Kaabe Schools are high quality and ready to scale.
And 2020 promises to be our most sensational year yet, with the planning of the second and third K-12 Kaabe schools underway. Over the next five years, we have the ambitious goal of creating a total of 12 new Kaabe schools rooted in experiential learning to ensure we nurture the potential of thousands of additional children in Somaliland.
Please consider supporting Abaarso as this year comes to a close and join us in hoping for a better tomorrow for Somaliland. As close friends of the organization, you may be all too familiar with the fact that primary school enrollment rates in Somaliland and Somalia are some of the lowest in the world. And the current literacy rate and leadership potential of women aged 15-24 will spike in the future as we dive further into our commitment.
Please give today, and be a part of our hope for a better tomorrow.
On behalf of our 49 faculty members and 56 staff, Happy Holidays.
Warmly,
Jonathan Starr
Founder|Headmaster Emeritus
PS: If you have some free time to catch up on our newsletters, they offer an excellent peek into our campuses and students! Click here to check them all out.