At a prize-giving day in Hargeisa, 200 children gathered with Human Development Fund (HDF) staff and guests to celebrate their progress and potential. Later in Burco, HDF leadership visited Tabantaabo Orphanage Girls School to assess whether a future partnership could extend support to more than 1,000 orphaned children.
The two visits showed different stages of orphan care in Hargeisa and Burco. One recognized children already supported through an HDF program. The other began with listening and assessment before any future commitment is made. Both formed part of HDF’s September 2026 field mission and its wider work in Somalia.
Celebrating 200 children in Hargeisa
The Hargeisa Orphan Care Program Prize Giving Day brought children, HDF staff and guests together in recognition of achievement. The event celebrated the progress of 200 children supported through the program.
Recognition matters because care is not limited to meeting an immediate material need. Children also need encouragement, opportunities to learn and an environment that affirms what they can achieve. The prize-giving day created space to acknowledge that progress openly and to remind each child that their efforts are seen.
HDF CEO Shaykh Abdirahman Kariye joined the children and local team during the celebration. The gathering placed the children at the center, with the program’s value reflected in their participation and the community surrounding them.
Assessing a possible partnership in Burco
In Burco, the purpose of the visit was different. HDF leadership visited Tabantaabo Orphanage Girls School to learn about the institution and assess opportunities to strengthen support for orphaned girls.
The school serves a large population of children. According to the field mission report, a future HDF intervention could support more than 1,000 orphaned children through education, welfare and long-term care.
That figure represents potential future reach, not a completed HDF program result. The visit was an early step toward considering whether the school could be integrated into HDF’s orphan care support structure. Any future partnership would require continued assessment and planning with the institution and local community.
Growing with care and accountability
Hargeisa and Burco represent two parts of responsible program development. In Hargeisa, HDF celebrated children already enrolled in an active program. In Burco, leaders examined what a future partnership might require before presenting it as a commitment.
That distinction matters. Sustainable orphan care depends on more than identifying a need. It requires local relationships, careful planning and the capacity to provide meaningful support over time.
The Hargeisa celebration showed what established care can make possible. The Burco visit opened a conversation about where that care may grow next.
Learn more about HDF’s Orphan Care Program and how sustained support contributes to education, healthcare, nutrition and stability for children.
