The importance of being earnest

If the truth is told, whilst there may be exceptions, Somali community organisations have manifestly failed their audience in the UK. Despite a massive 375 organisations in operation across the country [according to the United Kingdom Guidestar charity database which you can find here] community services are proving to be an obstacle to the potential development of Somalis in the UK.

The exisitng organisations that are currently funded to service the needs of the Somali community are issue-based; they are in operation to help women, the unemployed, the young, the homeless, the mentally ill, the disabled etc. This is possibly in line with the funding criteria outlined by the trusts and providers who look to help deliver projects that would improve 'social cohesion' for 'new arrivals'. As has been mentioned in previous posts, it allows for those who wish to see Somalis isolated and socially excluded to say that 'they tried to help'. The idea here is that the medicine to cure our social ills derives in some way from the poison that affects the body of the community. The hope being that we must endure the pain now to benefit from good health in the future.

Well people, the future has arrived and Somalis are undoubtedly still facing major problems in engaging in mainstream society. To date, the hundreds of thousands of pounds [if not millions of pounds] that have been spent over the last two decades has had no effect. This is in part due to the piecemeal approach to funding provision; where any Tom, Dick or Harry can form a 'community service' and be in receipt of a 'grant'. In the London borough of Ealing alone I have been informed that 88 Somali community organisations have been registered with Ealing Community and Voluntary Service. A contact there informed me that none are registered with the Charity Commission and all operate out of private addresses [usually corresponding with the home address of the individual who created the organisation]. So we have the ludicrous situation where a person is living in social housing, in receipt of state benefits for their personal needs and supplemented by monies that are issued as 'grants' to their 'community organisation' that meets the needs of their constituency. This would be funny if it was not so tragic.

The funding providers know, the public sector bodies know and the various intermediaries know that the current system is flawed. Why do they not change it? Why not allow for a formal strategic plan to address the needs of all of the people who are living as an underclass in the UK today? Well, because it would mean [a] a lot of people who are in the system would be out of work and out of pocket [b] turkeys, if they could, would most definitely not vote for Christmas and [c] Somalis themselves have been co-opted in small numbers to ensure that the status-quo is maintained.

S.A.A.N will look to take these issues to those in positions of responsibility and repeat the need for change . We are an evidence-based organisation; looking to the facts as they are on the ground with a view to addressing the abject needs of the Somali community not only in West London but across the nation's capital and the country as a whole. The facts will eventually speak for themselves, the truth will then out and the liars will be exposed.