🏫 SOS Sheikh Secondary School

Pharo Secondary School, Sheikh is situated near the town of Sheikh, a three-hour drive from Hargeisa, the capital of the unrecognized state of Somaliland. The once-renowned boarding school was established in British Somaliland and at independence was considered one of the top schools in the country. It is the birth-place of Somalia's former anthem, Soomaaliyeey toosoo, which was composed by the teachers of Sheikh Secondary School. The school accepted a mere 50 students each year for the 31 years (1958–89) before it was destroyed by the Siad Barre regime, admitting 1,550 people over three decades. It was mostly destroyed in fighting in 1989, and had fallen into further disrepair during the Somali Civil War.