YOUNG Africans, traumatised by war, are building new lives in Glasgow thanks to a grassroots project harnessing the power of mums.

New residents to the city coming from the Horn of Africa can struggle to find the support they need to settle in their new country.

Now a project from the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU) aims to transform lives by training women from the community to help families.

These new "community champions" are part of One Community, led by campaigner Khadija Coll, who has spent more than 25 years working in Scotland and Africa with refugees.

Khadija said: "For the mums, they realise they need more support for their children - the young people are Scottish now and they are not going anywhere.

"So they need to integrate and they need to settle in their new communities.

"We have spent a long time to trying to discover the barriers preventing this happening and this new project is designed to overcome them."

Somalian-born Khadija, who was previously nominated for Scotswoman of the Year for her work campaigning against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), has recruited mums from the Horn of African community in Glasgow, which includes a 3000-strong Somali population.

Dagmo Ali, a mum-of-three, has taken on the role of community champion. She has been in Glasgow for 10 years and understands the struggle to adapt.

She said: "I came here as an asylum seeker and for a long time I was too afraid to leave my home.

"I wasn't even sure of what I was scared of, I was just scared. And eventually I realised I had to get involved and make a new life for myself and my children.

"It is hard for people to approach services. They might believe that these things are not for them or they might not even know they exist.

"We are trying to overcome barriers and reach people who need help."

Gerado, 24, and Ibrahim, 23, both arrived in Scotland three years ago from Ethiopia.

Although they didn't know each other before leaving their country, they are now firm friends - "like brothers".

Leaving their families behind and having no network in their new home, both say having community support is vital to recovering from a traumatic past and settling in a new city.

Ibrahim travelled to Scotland with people from Sudan and Eritrea, who didn't speak the same language, and so was isolated.

It had taken him seven attempts to cross the Mediterranean before reaching Europe.

Both young men plan to improve their English before studying at university with Gerado having plans to gain an engineering degree before studying medicine.

He said: "The English is very different here and I need to improve mine before I start studying.

"The support we have been given has been emotional as well as practical - the practical support is things like help with writing a CV.

"The first time we applied for work they asked for a CV and we didn't know what that was.

"Now I love my life and want to serve this country like it is my own country.

"The people feel like my family. I come from here now."

Somali-born Shukri Addow came to Glasgow to study at Glasgow University and is now working with Skills Development Scotland to study barriers for African young people accessing education and training.

The 28-year-old said: "One thing we are finding is that all parents want their children to go to university because this is seen as the ultimate aim.

"So I am talking to them about modern apprenticeships and ways to work while studying, other ways for young people to be integrated and successful."

The champions have received a range of training so they can ensure people get the right support to deal with everything from accessing education and employment opportunities to attending medical appointments.

As with other communities, there can be a stigma attached to accessing mental health services.

Another barrier is fear of the police, having come from countries where brutality and corruption are rife.

Chief Inspector Alastair Muir, joined the SVRU three months ago.

"There's no exact science to breaking down barriers but in this case the message is being spread by mums, sisters and aunties.

"I'm the father of three daughters and I am delighted to be listening to these women and learning from them.

"The language problem can cause isolation and there can be isolation caused by cultural traditions.

"We also need to break down the communication barrier between generations - this is the first generation where parents and children speak different languages."

As well as challenges that affect all communities, the Horn of Africa population has unique issues such as FGM, which Chief Inspector Muir said is being tackled.

He added: "FGM is a problem and it is still here. My sense is from the mums that they are taking a lot of ownership of the problem and their own daughters are no longer victims of FGM.

"There is a wider awareness among health services of the problem and my sense is that it's getting better."

Community champions will also have to address the issue for traditional community values.

Dagmo said: "Women can be powerful in the community and do things that men can't do.

"Back home the men will talk down to women, they expect women to ask their permission to do things.

"And there is a problem with domestic violence. But we are moving away from that, we are teaching our boys to be better men and teaching the girls they can do anything they choose to do."

The project was officially launched by Justice Secretary Michael Matheson at Sunshine Koffee in Eglinton Toll, which has become a popular community hub.

Mr Matheson met with Jonathan Kankolongo, who came to Glasgow from DR Congo when he was three.

Now 21, he is just about to graduate from university with a law degree and hopes to inspire other African young people to success.

He said: "I don't want to say I'm a role model because I want young people to look at me and say, 'He's done well but I can do even better'.

"One of the challenges is not having a network - other young people have professional adults in their lives that they can call on for work experience and job opportunities.

"So I hope that my generation will be successful here so that we can offer those same opportunities to the generation below us."