Hubsiino means Ascertainment or know something for sure. It is highly valued in Somali culture and cited in several proverbs such as Hubsiino hal baa la siistaa which means: To know something for sure, one would even give up a she-camel (most precious animal in the Somali animal kingdom). Another proverb “Ma hubsade Hanfade noqoy” states that those who are not willing to know something for sure, they risk to become bullies.

Somalis, with a rich language of poetry, stories, and proverbs, used to communicate only in oral form, and the literacy rates in the country were meager. But the writing of the Somali language in the Latin alphabet in 1972, and the subsequent rural development campaign, raised the literacy rate in the country, and most Somalis were able to communicate in written form also.

With the collapse of the central government in Somalia in 1991, many Somalis fled to Western countries, where internet access was high, and many Somalis quickly adapted.

High-level literacy in Somalia and the ease of access to the internet has led to the fast delivery of the desired information (both good and bad). But as the saying goes, "It is not a treacherous person, the man who invented the iron, but the wrong person is the one who made from the iron a sword instead of plow".  Not all internet users are wrong; we have to distinguish the bad from the good and strive to convey to the public only what we are sure is true,  correct, and useful to the people particularly in health. That's why we named this program (this website) Hubsiino.

Ahmed Dalmar, MD, MS, CPI