Teddy Afro among international celebrities joining UNICEF campaign

The Ethiopian pop sensation Teddy Afro among international celebrities joining UNICEF’s Super Dad Campaign, it is learned.  As more than 90 countries prepare to mark Father’s Day later this month, prominent figures in sports and entertainment have joined ‘Super Dads,’ a campaign launched on June 6 by UNICEF that celebrates a father’s essential role in a child’s early cognitive development.

Mahershala Ali, David Beckham, the All Blacks, Daniel Cormier, Novak Djokovic, Lewis Hamilton, Hugh Jackman, Sachin Tendulkar, Thalía and Chris Weidman are among the celebrities who will be featured for their “super dad” moments on UNICEF’s Instagram and Twitter. These UNICEF ambassadors and supporters have also shared their thoughts on the importance of their own fathers in their childhoods.

I used to herd goats in Ethiopia and now I finished a degree in the US

by Francesca Croce

As a child, Mubarik Mohamoud’s life dream was to own 100 camels. He is now graduating from MIT with a diploma in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. A student from Somaliland in East Africa, he is returning to MIT in the fall to complete a Master’s before returning to his home country.

As a winner of scholarship founded by an ex-hedge-fund analyst that prepares kids in Somaliland to study in the US, Mubarik shared his moving story with us.

Tell me about your childhood – how old were you when you first went to school?

I was born in Ethiopia in region called Ogaden which is close to Somalia. Growing up I was a nomad. My parents had goats, camels and also sheep, so my life-calling was herding. I started out herding baby goats and had a camel at the end. My personal goal as a kid was basically to have 100 camels. That was the culmination of success in my life. There were some conflicts in Somaliland so there were some refugee camps set up in Ethiopia around where I lived. When I visited the camp I saw this school and different life that I could pursue.