UMaine Muslim Students Raise Funds for Somalia Crises

Members of the University of Maine Muslim Student Association (MSA) raising money to aid starving and drought-stricken Somalia are inviting members of the campus and surrounding communities to a special presentation Monday, Feb. 20 on campus to raise awareness about the suffering and famine.

The students — many with roots in the African nation — have raised more than $4,000 in the last few weeks and hope to raise more to send to the Humanitarian African Relief Organization (HARO), which coordinates the delivery of food and water to camps, towns and villages, according to Mahmoud Sowe, a UMaine admissions counselor and adviser for the student group.

Monday, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 100 of Neville Hall, the MSA will host a presentation, “Bringing Hope to Somalia: Crisis in the Horn,” and discussion of the ongoing tragedy in Somalia, a country torn by civil strife compounded by drought and famine.

“We would like to get the public to come to the event,” Sowe says. “There will be some students and faculty members, and also a Husson University faculty member who is from Somalia who will explain what the situation is in Somalia to bring awareness and try to raise as much money as we can and see how we can make a difference.”

UMaine faculty member Carol Toner, co-author of the recent book “Somalis in Maine: Crossing Cultural Currents,” along with MSA members and some from the Lewiston-Auburn area Somalia community will read from the book as part of the discussion. Information is on the MSA website.

Contact: George Manlove, (207) 581-3756