Nairobi (Sunatimes) Popular Somali-American Singer, Saado Ali Warsame, to visit World’s largest Refugee Camp to appeal for Humanitarian Aid for Somalia!

Nairobi 7 July 2011 – Somalia’s prominent musical artist, Saado Ali Warsame, will be visiting Dadaab Refugee camps to bring humanitarian attention and hope to the devastation of Somalis especially the vulnerable groups of mothers and children.
As someone whose heart belongs to the well being of the Somali people, Saado Ali wants Somalis to unite. Saado says, “We are at humanitarian crisis and this is the time for Somalis to unite and stand up for the dignity of our people.” Saado became a household icon in 1975 as young girl and she has continued to influence Somalis with her music the past thirty-five years. Saado’s popularity is not only due to her magnificent voice, but her pro-unity stand for Somalis, political courage and bravery to speak for the disadvantaged. She currently resides in Minneapolis, MN and has traveled to Kenya to help Somalis effected by the drought. Although, she is lives thousand of miles away from her birth country of Somalia, the power of the Internet has helped Saado to reach millions of Somalis on YouTube and social network sites to unite Somalis. Her hit latest single, “Somaliweyn” or “United Somalia” describes passionate call for all Somalis to come together as one and stop the country and clan divisions.
Hodan Nalayeh, founder of the Somali Refugee Awareness Project, says this humanitarian crisis is a result of twenty years of neglect of Somali refugees in Dadaab . “How many more years must Somali people live in Dadaab? This is now a moral question for the UN High Commissioner to answer, we must have a plan to resettle people to restore human dignity”.
Somali Refugee Awareness Project is urging U.S. Department of State to reopen the Priority Three or P-3 program to reunite Somali refugees from Dadaab to their families in America under Affidavits of Relationship (AORs). Many Somali-Americans are willing to help resettle their relatives.
The need for resettlement is greater than ever. The drought has brought a new group of refugees to Dadaab that lived in peace and prosperity in Northern Somalia.
The Somali Refugee Awareness is also appealing to The Somaliland Government to restore humanitarian aid to the Sool, Sanaag and Cyn region in Northern Somalia and stop the illegal military occupation of the region to allow aid to reach the people and prevent further deaths. She states “The newest refugees are of the Dhulbahante ethnic group who reside in the Sool, Sanaag and Cyn region and they are coming by the thousands to Dadaab and currently they represent the largest Somali ethnic group at Dadaab camp Hagadera.”
The Somaliland occupation of this area has caused people to walk for thousands of miles to reach Dadaab in search of food and aid. Many are dying on the route.
“The Somaliland government needs to immediately restore humanitarian aid to prevent further deaths and refugees,” says Nalayeh. According to United Nations Development Programme, the region of Sool, Sanaag and Cyn is considered “disputed land” and they are unable to provide humanitarian aid to the region.
Immediate action is needed to assist this new preventable group of refugees.
Somali Refugee Awareness Project: An advocacy group designed to bring mainstream media attention and action on the current Somali refugee crisis in Africa. According to UNHCR, Somalia remains one of the countries generating the highest number of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) in the world. An estimated 1.4 million Somalis are displaced within the country while another 680,000 live as refugees in the neighboring countries. Some refugees have been in the same camps for 20 years and live in the worst overcrowding conditions. Action is needed to help Somali refugees resettle back to a peaceful Somalia.
Media Contacts
Hodan Nalayeh 

+254 (0) 704 448 2449 (Nairobi)
+1-310-531-3002 (Los Angeles)
[email protected]