Head Teacher Mohamed Adan leads students towards healthier habits
For Head Teacher Mohamed Adan, education goes beyond the classroom, helping children in Galdogob learn healthy habits that benefit their families and communities.
Mohamed Adan Suleiman has been the head teacher at Imaamo Shaafici School in Galdogob for five years. At 55, he manages the school while guiding students and supporting their families to adopt healthier habits. Born in Galkayo, he now lives in Galdogob with his family of seven children.
For Mohamed, teaching goes beyond textbooks. He believes that the school can be a place where students learn to care for themselves and their communities. “I see it as part of my role to guide the children beyond the classroom,” he says. “When they learn how to stay healthy, it benefits their families and the wider community.”
Under the Joint Resilient Programme, funded by the German Government, Mohamed leads awareness sessions at the school on practical health topics such as handwashing, nutrition, vaccination, and respectful communication. The sessions are designed so that students can take the knowledge home and influence their families and neighbors.
Muniira Abdi is one of the students taking part in these lessons. Born in Mogadishu, she has lived in Galdogob for four years. Over ten days at school, she learned about personal hygiene and healthy eating, all key practices that help prevent illnesses. “I hope to help my community stay healthy in the future,” Muniira says. “I want to share what I have learned and support the people around me.”
Mohamed carefully integrates these health lessons into daily school life. Students participate in small group discussions, role plays, and demonstrations on hygiene practices, nutrition, and health-seeking behaviors. He emphasizes that small changes at home can make a big difference in a child’s life.
The impact of his work can already be seen. “When children go home and talk to their families about what they learned, small changes start happening, washing hands more often, taking children for vaccinations, or improving meals,” he explains. “Seeing these changes makes the work meaningful.”
The school’s awareness sessions are part of a broader effort to improve knowledge and practices around health, nutrition, and hygiene in Galdogob and North Galkayo. Families are reached through community sessions, household visits, and engagement with fathers, mothers, and local leaders. Teachers, social mobilisers, and community champions work together to ensure that children and adults alike have access to the information they need to make healthy choices.
For the head teacher, this work is about more than just teaching facts, it’s about creating lasting change. “Education and health go hand in hand,” he says. “If a child understands the importance of washing hands or eating well, they will carry that knowledge forward and influence everyone around them.”
Through his work at Imaamo Shaafici School, Maxamed is helping students and their families understand simple ways to stay healthy. By integrating lessons on hygiene and nutrition into the school day, he ensures that children learn habits they can carry home. Families, in turn, are able to make informed choices about their children’s health, and they know where to go for support when they need it.
