Meaningful democracy requires the meaningful participation of youth. Young people have much to offer societies – from innovation to creativity to new thinking. Their participation in democracy promotes active citizenship, strengthens social responsibility and can enhance democratic processes and institutions. Yet young people’s engagement with democracy faces significant challenges – threatening the ongoing political transformation in Somalia.
Electoral processes in Somalia remain fragile, marked by recurring delays, limited transparency, and low public trust in democratic institutions. The country has yet to fully implement a nationwide one-person-one-vote system, and participation continues to be constrained by a complex indirect electoral structure, ongoing insecurity, entrenched patriarchal norms, and limited access to civic education—particularly among youth, women, and marginalized communities.
Although young people make up over 75% of Somalia’s population, they remain significantly underrepresented in electoral decision-making and civic processes. Somalia ranks among the lowest globally in youth political participation. While youth-led activism is increasing, meaningful engagement in formal democratic processes remains limited. Even in contexts where local elections have taken place, participation has often been symbolic rather than substantive. In addition, the absence of accessible digital tools, high levels of digital illiteracy, limited access to reliable information, and the growing spread of misinformation continue to undermine inclusive democratic participation.
In response to these challenges, Bareedo Platform Somalia, a youth-led organization, has developed DoorashoKaab—a bilingual (Somali/English), user-friendly civic tech platform designed to empower Somali citizens with civic education, reliable voter information, and safe electoral incident reporting tools.
As part of its commitment to strengthening democratic participation and civic awareness across Somalia, Bareedo Platform is launching the Digital Civic Ambassadors and invites passionate Somali youth leaders to apply and become agents of change in their communities.
Digital Civic Ambassadors are young volunteers who lead grassroots, peer-to-peer civic and voter education initiatives within their communities. They play a vital role in promoting civic awareness and introducing the DoorashoKaab platform, helping expand its reach and impact across Somalia.
Civic Ambassadors are youth under the age of 35 who are:
Selected ambassadors will participate in a structured and intensive training program delivered through the DoorashoKaab platform. The training includes:
👉 Upon successful completion, participants will receive an official certification.
After completing the training, Digital Civic Ambassadors will:
As a Digital Civic Ambassador, you will:
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
To apply for the Digital Civic Ambassadors Program, please follow these steps:
📍 Location: Nationwide (Somalia)
📅 Deadline: May 15, 2026
📧 Contact: info@doorashokaab.org
🌐 Website: www.doorashokaab.org | www.bareedo.org
Somalia’s electoral processes remain highly fragile, marked by recurring delays, limited transparency, and low public trust in democratic institutions. Decades after the collapse of centralized governance, the country has yet to implement a nationwide one-person-one-vote electoral system. Instead, participation continues to be constrained by a complex indirect voting structure, ongoing insecurity, deeply rooted patriarchal norms, and the widespread absence of civic education—particularly among young people.
This challenge is especially significant considering that youth account for more than 75% of Somalia’s population. Despite their demographic majority, Somali youth remain marginalized and largely excluded from electoral decision-making, placing the country among those with the lowest levels of youth political participation globally. Although youth-led activism has been steadily growing, their involvement in formal electoral processes remains limited. Even where democratic local elections have been conducted, youth participation has often been symbolic rather than substantive.
At the same time, Somalia faces a growing digital divide that further complicates civic engagement. The country lacks the digital tools and infrastructure necessary to empower meaningful youth participation in democratic processes. High levels of digital illiteracy, limited access to reliable information, and the increasing spread of disinformation continue to undermine democratic progress and public trust in electoral institutions.
Introducing DoorashoKaab: A Civic Technology Solution
In response to these challenges, Bareedo Platform—an initiative committed to strengthening civic engagement and democratic participation—has launched the development of DoorashoKaab, a civic technology platform designed to promote and strengthen meaningful youth participation in Somalia’s electoral processes.
The initiative is supported by AfricTivistes, a pan-African organization dedicated to promoting democracy, digital rights, and civic engagement across the continent. Through this partnership, DoorashoKaab aims to address key barriers to participation, including the lack of accessible civic education, limited youth engagement, low trust in electoral institutions, and the growing problem of electoral disinformation.
DoorashoKaab is envisioned as a digital civic space that will provide accessible voter education, reliable electoral information, and tools for citizen engagement, ensuring that Somali youth are better informed and able to participate meaningfully in democratic processes.
Youth Consultations to Shape the Platform
To ensure that the platform reflects the needs and realities of Somali youth, Bareedo Platform organized four consultation sessions in Garowe, Galkacyo, and Mogadishu in January 2026. More than 80 youth participants took part in the discussions, offering valuable insights on the platform’s features, design, content needs, and accessibility.
These consultations played a critical role in shaping the development of DoorashoKaab. Participants emphasized that the platform should focus primarily on civic education, voter information, and real-time reporting of electoral incidents. In addition, the platform should serve as a central hub for general updates and information related to elections across Somalia, covering both federal and state-level electoral processes.
Key Recommendations from Youth Participants
The youth consultations generated a number of important recommendations that will guide the development of the platform:
Moving Forward
Bareedo Platform will incorporate the insights and recommendations gathered during the consultations into the ongoing development of DoorashoKaab. The goal is to build a civic technology platform that is accessible, inclusive, secure, and responsive to the needs of Somali youth.
By leveraging digital tools to provide credible information, civic education, and citizen reporting mechanisms, DoorashoKaab has the potential to strengthen democratic participation and rebuild trust in electoral processes in Somalia.
The consultation process was led by a team headed by Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Hassan, a civic education expert with over 14 years of experience in civic education, community outreach, and electoral processes. His leadership ensured that the discussions were grounded in both practical electoral experience and the realities facing Somali youth today.
As Somalia continues its gradual path toward democratic reform, initiatives like DoorashoKaab demonstrate how civic technology can play a transformative role in bridging the gap between citizens and democratic institutions—particularly for the country’s largest and most dynamic demographic: its youth.
Bossaso, the largest commercial and port city in Puntland State of Somalia, serves as a critical hub along the Eastern Migration Route, functioning both as a transit point and destination for migrants traveling between the Horn of Africa and the Gulf. The city hosts tens of thousands of migrant workers, primarily from Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria, and several Asian countries, many of whom are in irregular situations and face heightened vulnerability to exploitation, abuse, trafficking, and labour rights violations.
In a city that serves as a critical migration hub, ensuring that migrant workers have access to accurate information, protection services, and their fundamental rights is more important than ever. Through a comprehensive media and outreach campaign in Bossaso, Bareedo Platform, supported by International Labour Organization (ILO) under the Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) Programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), implemented a multi-channel approach that brought vital information directly to migrant communities, host populations, and key stakeholders.
At the heart of the campaign were five targeted outreach missions conducted across migrant-dense neighborhoods and strategic locations, including Mareero, Suweyto, Bossaso Port areas, markets, recruitment agencies, the Migration Response Center (MRC), and police stations. These missions ensured that information reached people where they live and work.
Over 2,000 multilingual IEC materials—produced in Somali, Amharic, Arabic, and English—were distributed, making information accessible to diverse migrant groups. More than 1,950 individuals were directly reached through these efforts.
Beyond distribution, outreach teams engaged communities through on-the-spot sensitization, raising awareness about migrant workers’ rights, safe recruitment, and available protection services. These activities also strengthened visibility of the campaign and generated valuable feedback from migrants and community members.
To expand reach beyond physical locations, the campaign leveraged both traditional and digital media. Three local FM radio stations—Dalmar Radio, Radio SBC, and Barkulan TV—broadcast five multilingual awareness messages twice daily over a 30-day period, ensuring continuous and wide-reaching dissemination.
In parallel, three high-reach online media personalities, alongside Bareedo Platform’s social media channels, drove a coordinated digital campaign using 15 awareness posters. This effort generated 450 direct online engagements and reached an estimated 20,000+ people.
The campaign also prioritized visibility and sustainability. A total of 300 posters were installed across migrant-populated areas and key service locations such as the MRC. Additionally, five billboards were strategically placed at major entry and exit points, including Bossaso port, airport, and checkpoints.
To ensure continued access to information, 500 migrant welcome kits were produced and integrated into MRC services, while IEC materials were embedded into referral systems and waiting areas. Feedback boxes installed at the MRC further created channels for ongoing engagement and service improvement.
These multichannel campaigns increased awareness among migrant workers, host communities and service providers on International Labour Standards, migrant rights, and protection mechanisms; promoted peaceful coexistence and social cohesion; and strengthened institutional coordination and accountability in migration governance.
The outreach activities, and the widespread dissemination of multilingual IEC materials, addressed low levels of awareness among migrant workers, host communities, and key stakeholders, leading to improved understanding of migrants’ rights, International Labour Standards, and available protection mechanisms.
These campaigns also mitigated widespread misinformation, discrimination, and negative perceptions toward migrant workers through media engagement, community dialogue, and public awareness campaigns, promoting more accurate, balanced, and rights-based narratives.
This integrated approach combining direct outreach, media engagement, and public visibility, demonstrates how multi-channel communication can effectively bridge information gaps, reduce vulnerability, and strengthen protection systems for migrant workers.
By meeting people where they are—on the streets, on the airwaves, and online—the campaign not only raised awareness but also built trust, improved access to services, and laid the foundation for more inclusive and responsive migration governance in Bossaso.
#MigrantRights #SafeMigration #Bossaso #ILO #BRMM #MigrationProtection
Bossaso, the busies port city of Puntland in Somalia stands at a critical crossroads of opportunity and vulnerability. As one of Somalia’s most important migration hubs along the Eastern Migration Route, it hosts tens of thousands of migrant workers—many fleeing conflict, poverty, or instability from Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria, and several Asian countries. Despite their vital contribution to Bossaso’s economy, migrant workers face significant risks: irregular status, labour exploitation, gender-based violence, wage theft, trafficking, and arbitrary arrest.
In November 2025, Bareedo Platform Somalia, with support from the ILO under the BRMM Programme, launched an intensive series of community awareness workshops aimed at creating a safer, fairer environment for migrant workers in Bossaso. The initiative brought together migrant workers, host communities, employers, officials, CSOs, media actors, and religious leaders in an unprecedented effort to advance migrant rights, strengthen protection systems, and promote peaceful coexistence.
Bossaso’s strategic location has made it both a destination and transit hub for migration across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Migrant workers fuel key sectors including construction, health, telecommunications, hospitality, and domestic work. Yet the majority, specially Ethiopian, Yemeni, and Syrian migrants—remain undocumented, leaving them vulnerable to abuse, unsafe conditions, and exclusion from protection mechanisms.
Recent security operations against ISIS/Daesh in the Cal-Miskaad mountains in Bari region of Puntland, have also intensified risks, resulting in mass arrests, deportations, housing bans, and restrictions on movement. These crackdowns, though aimed at extremists, have had unintended consequences that worsened the humanitarian situation for thousands of migrants.
The workshops, held by Bareedo Platform in Bossaso, were designed to counter these challenges with information, dialogue, and shared solutions.
Over a series of five community awareness sessions between 11–17 November 2025, Bareedo Platform convened 300 participants across diverse sectors: Migrant workers (regular and irregular), host community members from migrant-dense areas, employers and business owners, government authorities (labour, immigration, police, municipalities), CSOs, UN/INGOs, and human rights actors, media practitioners and influencers, and imams and traditional elders.
Workshops used a multilingual, community-centered approach with Somali, Amharic, Arabic, and English materials to ensure full accessibility.
Techniques included guided group discussions, real-life case analysis, rights education, and collaborative solution-building.
The discussions painted a detailed picture of the migrant experience in Bossaso:
Despite the scale and complexity of challenges identified, the workshops led to significant progress, demonstrating genuine commitment and meaningful shifts in attitudes across all participant groups:
Participants put forward a set of practical, rights-centered recommendations aimed at strengthening migrant protection systems and transforming the migration landscape in Puntland:
The workshops underscore that protecting migrant workers is not solely a policy issue—it is a shared moral, economic, and societal responsibility. Migrant labour keeps Bossaso’s economy running, yet the systems meant to safeguard them lag far behind. Bareedo Platform’s intervention generated hope, conversation, and commitment, but participants unanimously stressed that ongoing, long-term programming is needed.
Bossaso’s migrant workers deserve safety, dignity, and rights—not fear and exclusion. Through continued collaboration among government institutions, civil society, employers, communities, and international partners, Somalia can build a model for humane, fair, and sustainable migration governance.
#BRMM #SafeMigration #MigrantRightsSomalia #MigrantWorkers #FairRecruitment #DecentWork #Bossaso #Puntland #Somalia
On May 19, 2025, a powerful step toward safer digital spaces for young women in Somalia took place in Garowe. At the request of Hawa Feminist Coalition, a dynamic, youth-led feminist movement, Bareedo Platform delivered an intensive digital security training for 35 young feminist activists.
This initiative aimed to strengthen the capacity of emerging women leaders to navigate online risks, protect their digital identities, and continue their advocacy safely in an increasingly connected world.
Women activists often face disproportionate risks online—ranging from harassment to targeted cyberattacks. Recognizing this reality, the training was carefully designed to address gender-specific digital vulnerabilities while equipping participants with practical, actionable skills. The training covered seven essential modules, each tailored to empower participants with knowledge and tools for digital resilience.
This training was more than a technical workshop—it was an investment in the safety, confidence, and leadership of young feminist activists in Somalia. By equipping participants with essential digital security skills, Bareedo Platform and Hawa Feminist Coalition are helping to create a generation of women who can advocate boldly and safely, both online and offline.
As digital spaces continue to shape activism and social change, initiatives like this are critical in ensuring that women are not only present—but protected, empowered, and leading.
