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There are Big Opportunities in Somalia for the Diaspora Community Despite the challenges facing the Somalia, more Somalis in the Diaspora are embracing the concept of returning home and engaging in development projects that in turn go a long way in benefiting their societies. Zahra Abtidon, a Somali woman from Italy and a Cofounder of the Gender Education Empowerment and Leadership Organization, believes that Somalis in the diaspora can contribute immensely to the development of Somalia, if only they are willing to try. Zahra is the CEO and Co-founder of Gender Education Empowerment and Leadership Organization (GEELO), an organization that works to promote girl child education and lobby for the rights of women in Somalia. Having worked in Somalia for the past eight years Zahra carried out a needs assessment to identify the community's point of need and identified a gap in agricultural production. She consequently mobilized for funding and established an agricultural project to boost agricultural production in the Hiraan region of South Central Somalia. Zahra points out that despite the love for agriculture, the people of Hiraan lack adequate agricultural inputs and lack of farming knowledge as the problem that was ailing agriculture in Hiraan. She partnered with FAO and is currently giving relevant agricultural training to farmers in Hiraan, providing them with seeds, pesticides and farming tools. She continuously encourages the community to take advantage of the two rivers that flow across the villages in the Hiraan region to irrigate their crops. "The challenge here is flooding when it rains and drought that dries up the rivers." The impact on the people of Hiraan she says is encouraging. "The community is happy to see people that they know come back. They were very welcoming to me when they found out I was coming back to work with them. They are continuously struggling and this kind of gesture gives them a lot of hope. " Every working environment has its challenges and Zahra has learnt to overcome them. She describes the Somali community as being a little complicated. "Men who run NGOs may find my success a little bit intimidating, "she adds with laughter but a little jealousy hurts no one. Finding qualified candidates for the available opportunities adds on to the challenge. Zahra often strives to open up the opportunities to qualified candidates from other regions outside Hiraan but his affects the work output because such candidates often don't feel comfortable in a region that is not their own. Zahra attributes her success in Somalia to the willingness to learn. "I feel satisfied, like I am growing up somehow. I have learnt to listen to people more; I am much more exposed and have capacity to handle various kinds of challenges." She says. Her Message to the Somalis in the Diaspora is that, "You can do more when you come back to Somalia. Please come and try and from my experience, you will not regret that decision."