Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Three of the best pupils, Mohammed Hassan, Nafisa Mohamed and Abukar Xassan, received certificates from development worker Suzanne Moen, to recognise their achievements at the supplementary school, which teaches in the children's mother language.
Lighthouse Education, which also helps Somalian children with homework and language barriers, now caters for around 90 pupils at the Alliston Gardens Youth and Community Centre in Semilong, which the trust hires every weekend.
However, teachers and parents are concerned that the school will need more support to cope with the growing numbers of children attending.
At the parents' event, members of the Somali community spoke of the need for groups supporting children and young people in
Abdirahman Abdi, secretary of the Somali Community Association, said: "We want to put forward our needs as a community because every little helps. We are trying our best to handle the community, and Lighthouse Education is working in collaboration with the Somali Community Association. Lighthouse was founded in 2005 and the children come down to study their language and culture. This building is very small and we have a lot of children."
Jamel Yusef, a parent, said: "Ours is a small community that is growing and the kids in