Shining - the story of a Lucky Man

Despite what he has gone through, Abdi is a most inspiring man, who is constantly thankful for his life and what he has. Everything he has endured and achieved is testament to his quiet strength and courage, his relilience and his shining and enduring optimism.

Adbi grew up in Mogadishu until the outbreak of Somalia's devasting civil war separated him from his family and home. He fled Mogadishu with 300 others and headed for the Kenyan border. On the way, death squads hunted them. Abdi and a group of other boys were caught and lined up to be executed. Miraculously the bullets missed Abdi but he fell to the ground and feigned death.  Of the 300 who set out from Mogadishu, only five survived to reach Kenya. He was just sixteen years old when he arrived in Melbourne.  He had no English, no family or friends, no money, no home. Yet, against the odds, he not only survived, he thrived. Abdi went on to complete secondary education and later university. Abdi's work revolves around community development.