The work of Abdi Roble since 2003 as the Founder and Director of the Somali Documentary Project (SDP) has given all of us access to an archival history of the worldwide Somali Diaspora. SDP is the only project in the history of human movement to document a major migration while that migration is still taking place. The Grant awarded to SDP this year reflects the work that Mr. Roble is doing in Minneapolis at the Minnesota International Middle School. Mr. Roble has started a project that connects the historic values, cultures and traditions to recently immigrated or generational East African youth attending this school. Elders from the local Somali community are on hand in the school to impart advice and wisdom and serve as good examples to these students. Additionally, the elders are involving students to gather stories from their parents and grandparents about the Diaspora that disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Somalis from their homeland. 40 eighth graders are collecting these narrative stories and have also learned photography techniques to visually document the Somali experience in America.
The Puffin Foundation previously provided a grant to SDP’s advocacy and social justice work, which helped create a “special sister-city” relationship between the City of Columbus and the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. A luncheon was held at Valley Dale that helped raise over $25,000 for displaced Somalis living in Dadaab and these funds were used to purchase books, school supplies, and provided other much needed services.
