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In this lesson we will be exploring, through the story of Mo Farah, the nature of success and what it means to be a refugee.

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS "It's all hard work and grafting …..but anything is possible" Mo Farah

Mo wins his second gold medal at London 2012

The little boy from Somaliland had come a long way!

Young Mo’s father was a businessman and his family lived comfortably in a good stone house, but Somalia was sliding towards twenty years of civil war.

The country was destroyed and due to problems such as lack of food and power, Mo’s family was forced to leave. They had no choice but to live in a very small tent in a refugee camp. Luckily Mo was healthy, and strong enough to survive the conditions. Refugee camp in Djibouti

Mo's father returned to London, where he himself had been raised. At the age of eight Mo followed him, leaving his twin brother Hassan behind. Hassan Farah

Mo spoke little English - only three phrases : “Excuse me,” “Where’s the lavatory?” and “C’mon then”, so he found it hard to learn at first.

At first he got into a lot of fights because he was taunted by other kids for being different. He soon learnt to fit in by becoming a bit of a joker. His mates loved his lion impression – although it drove the teachers mad! Mo dreamt of playing for Arsenal, and is still an Arsenal fan.

Although Mo loved football, PE teacher Alan Watkinson spotted his special talent for running. He remembers Mo heading off in the wrong direction during a race, and how effortlessly he recovered the lead. Mo became a very successful junior athlete and won the European Junior 5000m title in 2001.

After leaving school Mo worked in a fast-food restaurant to pay for his training until a £10,000 National Lottery grant allowed him to take up running full-time.

Although Mo was a fierce competitor when it mattered, he got up to all kinds of mischief when not racing. One night he jumped naked from Kingston Bridge into the River Thames for a bet!

Mo’s coach, Alan Storey, encouraged him to train with top athletes from Kenya. When he saw how focused they were, he decided to move into their house. From then on his life was to be devoted to athletics…. No more late nights!

Mo married Tania in They had been friends since childhood. One of Tania’s first memories of Mo is of him coming to school with a bleached blond afro hairstyle! Tania’s daughter Rihanna became Mo’s step- daughter.

In 2011 Mo left England to train in the United States with Alberto Salazar alongside American runner Galen Rupp. He dedicated himself to becoming the best distance runner in the world.

Salazar is a perfectionist who looks at everything about his athletes’ performances in his search for improvement. He commands absolute trust and Mo does everything that is asked of him in training without question. When Mo won gold in the 10,000m, Galen Rupp took the silver medal.

Mo Farah is only the sixth person in history to win both the 5,000m and 10,000m!

Rihanna was, of course, one of the first to celebrate with him!

Then everyone wanted to join in with the Mobot!

A few days later Mo had another reason to celebrate. His wife gave birth to twin girls, Aisha and Amani – two sisters for Rihanna!

A few days after that Mo became the first person ever to beat ‘The Cube’ on ITV, winning £250,000 for his foundation which works to save the lives of some of the millions of people facing starvation and disease in East Africa.

The Mo Farah Foundation distributes Family Food Baskets containing rice, maize, wheat, flour, milk, sugar, beans and oil. It provides safe drinking water by building wells and canals. It is establishing medical clinics to provide free healthcare. It is supporting fishermen and farmers to create their own businesses. It is creating schools to help provide children with a brighter future. Mo Farah Foundation

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS What do YOU think is the secret?

Glossary Refugee - somebody who is seeking or taking refuge in a foreign country, or a different part of their own country, often to avoid war or persecution Perfectionist – somebody who likes to get everything right Dedicated – committed, devoted Foundation – charity, organisation

The Learning Activities Document completes this lesson : Identifying personal talents Dealing with jealousy Setting up a foundation for refugees Rate this lesson here.here. Click on the image above to view and/or download learning activities.