Local Somali community working to support victims of bombing
Ottawa's Somali community is raising money for victims of the deadliest attack in the country's history.
A truck bomb exploded in the capital city, Mogadishu, killing more than 350 people on Oct. 14.
People were trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings for hours after the bomb went off.
More than a week after the attack, the local Somali community is holding a fundraising dinner so they can send the money to friends and family in need.
"Being such a tight knit community, it's very hard for us to be so far away from them," said Dahabo Ahmed Omer, one of the organizers.
"We are a community where everyone knows everyone."
'We are all human beings'
The dinner will focus on providing resources for people on the ground in Somalia, she said.
The country is still healing from a decades-long civil war, Omer added, and an attack like the one last week is devastating.
Omer said bodies are being buried without proper identification, and she worries about what sort of impact this will have on families of the deceased.
"In order for people in Somalia to move past this, they need shelter, they need food, they need medical aid and forensics," said Omer.
"Let's not forget that we are in this world together, we are all human beings, and we all suffer when others suffer," she said.
Sunday's dinner is being held at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre at 2 p.m.
