Opportunity

Builds

The Future.

Somaliland is a place of vast potential, but potential alone isn’t enough.

It needs opportunity.

It has been over three decades since a brutal civil war and the collapse of the Republic of Somalia, out of which came the unrecognized Republic of Somaliland.

There is a desperate need to rebuild infrastructure, extend educational opportunities and develop the leaders of tomorrow.

Map of Africa highlighting Somaliland and Somalia, with a zoomed-in inset showing Somaliland and Somalia's location in the Horn of Africa.

Our mission begins with students and leads to national transformation.

Composed of a leadership high school, women’s teachers college, and scaling system of primary schools, Abaarso Network provides opportunity from the ground up starting with the students of Somaliland.

A young girl with a joyful expression, wearing a dark blue head covering and a red textured coat, stands on sandy ground holding a black bucket filled with water in her right hand and an orange cloth in her left hand, outdoors on a cloudy day.

Abaarso Network

Young children sitting on the floor in a classroom, engaged in an educational activity with an instructor. There are colorful number blocks and a grid on the floor, with educational materials in the background.

a self-propelled education ecosystem powered by homegrown alumni talent as the leaders and the teachers.

  1. Develop the leaders.

  2. Train the teachers.

  3. Create an education ecosystem.

  4. Help it build the future from within.

Our model

A LEADERSHIP

HIGH SCHOOL

Two middle school girl students wearing hijabs, one making a peace, standing outdoors in front of green bushes and trees.

Abaarso School

(est. 2009)

Abaarso School is an American accredited 7th-12th grade leadership boarding school where young Somalilanders became the first from their country in 30 years to earn places at top US universities, including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Cornell. In total, more than 350 alumni have earned scholarships totaling $55 million. Abaarso School has been featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes and in publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.

Abaarso alumni return home every year to make an impact in all sectors of society, including in the Somaliland Government, private sector, and across Abaarso Network.

Two boys are engaged in conversation inside a classroom, with sunlight illuminating their faces and other students in the background.

A WOMEN’S

TEACHERS

COLLEGE

Two young women smiling, wearing black headscarves and standing outdoors near a white building with windows.

Barwaaqo University

(est. 2017)

Barwaaqo University is Somaliland’s first and only all-female university. The university  is home to a Teachers College, training a new generation of student-centered educators in Somaliland. The teachers-in-training hone their skills by providing a free education to local village students and receiving expert feedback from trainers. The university boasts a 90% graduate employment rate, in a country where 90% of women are unemployed.

The school offers a Bachelor’s of Education, Bachelor’s of Education with Montessori Specialism, and Bachelor’s of Secondary Education with Humanities Specialism. 

Four women standing side by side, smiling, dressed in modest clothing and wearing headscarves in different styles and colors, with a door and window in background.

A SCALING

SYSTEM OF

K-12 SCHOOLS

A woman wearing a black hijab sits on the floor playing an educational card game with a young boy. They are smiling and engaging with the cards laid out in front of them.

Kaabe Schools

(est. 2019)

Kaabe Schools are a scaling system of student-centered schools powered by homegrown talent. Students as young as three years old learn in an English immersion environment. Bringing the Network full circle, Kaabe is staffed with Barwaaqo-trained teachers and managed by Abaarso graduates who returned from top universities abroad.

Kaabe uses a Montessori approach in the primary schools where students drive their own differentiated learning, develop executive functioning skills, build a foundation of 21st century skills, and work with hands-on curriculum.

Three young girls wearing hijabs and colorful dresses smiling and posing together in a classroom setting.

Our impact

Blue badge icon with large black number 350+ and partial text 'scholarships to schools abroad'
Orange badge icon with large black number 60% and partial text 'of Abaarso Network students are female'
Green badge icon with large black number 90% and partial text 'of teachers at Kaabe Schools are Barwaaqo University graduates'
Green badge icon with large black number 55m and partial text 'scholarships to schools abroad'
Purple bubble with black text indicating 90% of Barwaqo University graduates are employed.
Blue badge icon with large black number 85% and partial text 'of Abaarso Network students receive financial aid'

Our alumni are already demonstrating the impact of opportunity.

Two men smiling and posing for a photo at an indoor event, one wearing glasses and a plaid shirt, the other wearing sunglasses, a teal shirt, and a brown blazer, with a red cap, holding a paper cup.

Our alumni have played a critical role in founding Barwaaqo University and Kaabe Schools as well as serving in top management positions across Abaarso Network and as active board members. They have already served in Somaliland’s government in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, Planning, and the Presidency, founded the first women’s health clinic in Somaliland, been featured as one of BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women in 2020, worked for the UN, World Bank, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Bain and many other incredible success stories. 

Our partners

Logos of African Leadership Academy, Berkeley Public Policy, The Goldman School, The Big Heart Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Teachers College Columbia University.
Logos of DP World, Tuck School at Dartmouth, Global Schools Forum, Hali Access Network, and Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Logos of Mastercard Foundation, NEA SEC Accredited, Partners for Equity Australia, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Tufts University, Fletcher School.

Support our mission today.

Interested in joining our team?