A Photograph, a Scholarship, and the Training That Connected Them
RNTC alumnus Mubaarik Fuaad Hassan (Dhaga-cadde) on how learning to think like a strategist changed what his camera could do
When Mubaarik Fuaad Hassan (Dhaga-cadde) posted a comment under an RNTC Throwback Thursday photo on Facebook, he had news to share. The Somaliland-based communication professional had just won the EU Delegation to Somalia's inaugural photo competition and was midway through an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's in Global Studies at universities in Germany and Austria. Both achievements, he says, trace back to a shift in how he thinks about communication, a shift that began during his participation in an RNTC training in the Netherlands.
Mubaarik first came to RNTC in early 2023 for the Media Campaign for Social Change and Advocacy course. At the time, he was a Communication Officer at NAFIS Network, a Hargeisa-based civil society network working to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Somaliland. The organisation coordinates over 20 member organisations across the country and runs GIZ-funded programmes addressing gender-based violence, women's economic empowerment, and community health.
The course gave him a framework he had been missing. Stakeholder mapping, audience segmentation, message framing, and evidence-based storytelling became tools he could apply immediately. When he returned, his supervisor promoted him to Project Manager for the RDRM project, funded by GIZ and BMZ and implemented by NAFIS Network, promoting women's business groups and life skills. He went on to contribute to two further GIZ-funded projects, each time drawing on the same RNTC course methodology.
In mid-2024, he returned for a second RNTC training: Countering Disinformation and Hate Speech with Digital Media. This deepened his understanding of verification, ethical journalism, and how information environments shape public discourse.
A photograph with a purpose
In 2025, Mubaarik entered the EU Delegation to Somalia's photo competition with an image titled 'Building Futures Through Skills,' taken at Hargeisa Technical Institute. It shows a young woman gaining hands-on technical training. The subject was deliberate: he wanted to tell a story about vocational education as a route to employment, entrepreneurship, autonomy, and dignity, particularly for young women.
"Rather than submitting only a beautiful image, I submitted a meaningful visual story with a clear advocacy message. I believe that the storytelling approach developed through RNTC made a difference."
The competition, run by the EU Delegation as part of the #EU4SOM initiative, saw its inaugural winners announced at Europe Day celebrations in Mogadishu in May 2026. The judging criteria weighted storytelling and inspirational value equally alongside visual quality, which played to the strengths Mubaarik had developed through his RNTC training.
From practice to research
Shortly after his second RNTC training, Mubaarik was awarded an Erasmus Mundus scholarship for the Joint Master's in Global Studies. The programme, running since 2005, is delivered by a consortium of five European universities including Leipzig University in Germany and the University of Vienna in Austria. Students are assigned to institutions by the selection committee rather than choosing them. The master's programme covers global governance, peacebuilding, and international development.
Mubaarik sees the two training experiences as complementary rather than competing. RNTC gave him both the framework and the practical communication tools; the master's programme is layering academic research and analytical depth on top. He plans to continue working at the intersection of journalism, strategic communication, and peacebuilding, with a particular commitment to supporting the University of Hargeisa's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.
What stays with him
When asked what he still uses from RNTC training, the answer comes quickly to him: stakeholder mapping, audience analysis, and message framing. Whether working on advocacy campaigns, consultancy assignments, or personal initiatives, he starts with the same questions. Who is the audience? Who are the stakeholders? What message will create change? Which channel is most effective?
"These practical tools have become one of my greatest professional strengths. They make me a stronger communicator and consultant."
He also carries a broader conviction shaped by his past experience: that professional development should not wait for external funding. He has invested personal resources in continuing his learning, and frames each new opportunity, from RNTC to the EU competition to Erasmus Mundus, carrying a responsibility to give back.
"My goal has never been to collect certificates. It has been to gain practical skills that benefit my community."
Mubaarik Fuaad Dhaga-cadde attended RNTC's Media Campaign for Social Change and Advocacy (2023) and Countering Disinformation and Hate Speech with Digital Media (2024). He is currently an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Scholar in Global Studies.