The 4th annual Somali Hope Academy gala on Saturday 15 February, drew hundreds of people to the Ottawa Police Association centre on Catherine Street in a fundraiser for the school located in a remote part of Somalia. Started a few years ago by a small group of Ottawa Somali residents, the Somali Hope Academy Foundation, led by Executive Director, Ottawa Police officer, Mohamed Elmi, provides funds for building infrastructure, teachers’ salaries, books and other resources needed by the students who would otherwise not have access to education. The highlight of the evening was a moving keynote speech by the co-ed school’s head master, Yahya Abdi, who spoke of the successes and challenges faced by the five teachers and three hundred students, emphasizing that the country’s future prosperity depended largely in providing quality education to both male and female children. The event attracted several sponsors of which the Ottawa Police Service played a prominent role.
