Dr Hawa Abdi & Daughter, "keeping hope alive"

As the twin bombings hit the Boston Marathon, deadlier blasts also ripped through the densely populated Somali capital of Mogadishu. Hours after car bombs and suicide bombers killed at least 16 people outside a court complex on Sunday, another car bomb detonated and killed Turkish nationals. In Somalia, unlike Boston, there were no highly trained emergency personnel on the scene or top-notch hospitals to treat victims. Since 1991, when the Somali government collapsed, aid groups fled the country, and violence routinely interrupts everyday life. However, one Somali physician has made it her life mission to care for those worst hit by violence, poverty and sickness. Dr. Hawa Abdi is known as "the Mother Teresa of Somalia." In her new memoir, "Keeping Hope Alive: One Woman—90,000 Lives Changed," Dr. Abdi explains why she established a hospital, school and shelter for internally displaced people just outside the war-torn capital of Mogadishu. Tens of thousands of displaced Somalis still live there today. She also recounts the difficulties she has encountered as one of the few female physicians in Somalia and her harrowing experience of being kidnapped by militants. 

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Puntland: Training Women Journalists

07 February 2013 - During the last two decades, the Puntland media have undergone a remarkable change. A growing number of radio stations, local and satellite television channels, newspapers and countless websites are all positive signs of a dynamic culture of expression. However, this vibrant media landscape still remains relatively inaccessible to women. In fact, with more than 87% male staff, the media are the most male-dominated business in Puntland. But in early 2012, a group of young women who had just completed their training as journalists formed the Nugal Women Journalists (NUWOJO) to advocate for better female representation in this sector.

Sharing the expertise

Recognizing the commitment and potential of NUWOJO, Interpeace’s local partner, the Puntland Development Research Center (PDRC), decided to support this association through a training workshop. PDRC shared its expertise in capacity-building and gender mainstreaming, as well as its experience with the use of audio-visual tools with the 30 young women journalist who attended the workshop.

Photo Credit: PDRC

PDRC’s mobile Audio-Visual Unit (AVU), which reaches out to remote communities through film projections, provided technical training in filming and camerawork, including practical exercises. This module was particularly popular with the participants, as one of them explains: “This is something we had not been exposed to before, and no girls are working in these areas, so we really appreciated the training.” The workshop provided the young women with a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience, as most of them had received chiefly theoretical training. They also showed a strong interest in the mobile AVU’s experience in documentary-making and its work in local peacebuilding, democratization and gender development.

A major social responsibility

In addition to the more technical aspects related to reporting and editing, the training also put a strong emphasis on the social responsibility journalists have to assume. It highlighted the role of the media in conflict resolution and their potential for peacebuilding, through providing accurate and unbiased information, fostering open communication, building confidence and correcting misconceptions.

Another major component of the workshop was devoted to gender mainstreaming. The aim of this module was to build the capacities of these young women by providing them with a better understanding of issues surrounding gender equality and with the tools to assert their rights. Due to their high visibility, the media have a crucial role to play in defining the way women are perceived by the society.

A long-term impact

Photo Credit: PDRC

Despite its dynamic image, the media sector in Puntland is actually characterized by entrenched gender inequality. But by giving motivated women such as these young journalists the opportunity and the means to make their mark, there is a strong potential to improve the standards. “I was really happy to have this training,” shared one of the participants. “It has given me the basis and motivation to keep studying independently even after the workshop. We are very grateful to PDRC for seeing this need and helping us address it.”

The workshop is a part of Interpeace’s effort to support the development of the media in the Somali Region, which also includes the recent publication of a journalists handbook. PDRC’s work has already highlighted the important role of women in peacebuilding in the Somali Region; bearing this in mind, a more significant female presence in the media could have a very positive impact.

Source: Interpeace.org 

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Mogadishu's rape culture

Mogadishu's rape culture 

Today, a 27 year old Somali woman was sentenced for one year for reporting a rape committed by a Somali soldiers, the journalist that interviewed her was also sentenced for one year. 

Most of the rapes and other serious crimes committed in Somalia are concentrated in the capital city, Mogadishu. This is no surprise when you consider the fact that the Somali National Army in Mogadishu regularly recruits former child soldiers, war criminals and other unsavory people to become soldiers. 

Amin Arts Illustration 

Anyone can become a member of the SNA in Mogadishu, there are no background checks or mental evaluations, and training is non-existent. Therefore, it is to be expected that that these "soldiers" revert to looting, harassing and raping the very citizens they have sworn to protect.

Areas not under the control of the Somali National Army, such as Somaliland and Puntland, have far less cases of rape and other crimes. And when a rape case is reported to the authorities in these regions, the victim is not the one that is thrown in jail, the perpetrator of the crime is.
The fragile "peace" that exists in Mogadishu is thanks to AMISOM troops, as soon as they leave, Mogadishu will return to anarchy. That is, unless the Somali government stops recruiting criminals to join the army. 

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New report: Minnesota Somali women struggle with Western medical system

(Photo courtesy of Fartun Weli)

BY IBRAHIM HIRSI, TC DAILY PLANET

January 25, 2013

A new report on Minnesota Somali women reveals the challenges women in the community face in dealing with Western medical practices during pregnancy and childbirth.

Complications between the Somali community and Western doctors are fueled by cultural differences between the two societies, but the “Cultural Traditions and the Reproductive Health of Somali Women” study could help to bridge that gap.

“We wanted to shed light on the concerns Somali women have regarding Western health care practices,” said Fartun Weli, executive director of the Minnesota-based Somali advocacy group Isuroon, which sponsored the report. “When we have a study focusing on such issues, then health professionals will not have an excuse not to fix the problems our community is facing.”

Deeply rooted cultural and religious traditions influence Somalis’ ideas about marriage, family and the maternity process. Minnesota health providers, however, aren’t providing the estimated 70,000 Somali-American population in Minnesota with a culturally acceptable environment, according to the report.

Traditionally, the success of a Somali woman is often linked to a marriage leading to the births of many children. On average, women in Somalia bear seven children during their lifetime, the study stated.

While Somali women understand the importance of a health provider, they strongly prefer a female provider to a male, the study stated. It’s not culturally or religiously accepted for women to expose their genitals to men other than their husbands. It doesn’t matter what the conditions are.

Last year, Nancy Deyo, a senior advisor for the Women’s Refugee Commission, who researched and authored the report, gathered a focus group consisting of 25 Somali women, 12 Somali men and health professionals in Minneapolis.

The group reported that Somali women feel providers rush to do unnecessary Cesarean sections, also known as C-sections.

For Western providers, C-sections become indispensible when a woman in labor encounters health problems, her vagina is too small for the baby to pass, the child is weirdly positioned or signs of distress in the baby arise.

For the Somali community, the report stated, a C-section is seen as a dangerous practice, which will cause women to never have a natural birth again. Others see the surgery as Western providers’ way to thwart Somali women from having more babies, the study stated.

Somali women are accustomed to situations where health providers in Somalia gave them more time and support in manipulating the child’s position to enable a successful birth. Such a process can last three to four days, the report said.

A community member in the study expressed his frustration toward the C-sections this way:

In Somalia, almost all births are natural, but we see here up to 70 percent of births by surgery. Because of this high number, we think the doctors want to make money from the surgeries; they make less if the child was born naturally. They also want mothers to have fewer children. This is why we fear C-sections.

The study also revealed that Somalis object to inducing labor, a Western medical practice to begin the birthing process. The community is “anti-intervention,” the report said, adding that Somali women believe God determines the right moment for babies to come out.

The women also fear the inducing method because they believe that it “burns the womb,” meaning the womb breaks and women won’t be able to reproduce, which is considered a catastrophe in the Somali culture, according to the study.

Discrimination by providers

Some women shared with the study that they were discriminated against because they’re immigrants. They said that nurses didn’t give them the attention and care they needed during agonizing labor pain. The women reported that the nurses stood outside, chatting and laughing, while they were in severe pain.

One woman told researchers:

In the U.S., as long as you're an immigrant, doctors do not give you proper care. I was pregnant and my child had his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. When I had the ultrasound the doctors told me there is something wrong with your baby, but they did not fix it. When the baby came out he was strangled with the umbilical cord. I did not sue them because I trust Allah will take care of us, but my baby has a disability from that birth.

Others said doctors don’t take the time to educate patients about options pertaining to childbirth. For instance, if a Somali woman objects when a doctor suggests a C-section, the doctor tells them to go find another doctor. Consequently, the women feel abandoned.

“We want our doctors to consult with families,” a man told the researchers who conducted study. “Even if surgery is the best alternative, we want to know our options and have a discussion about it.”

Recommendations

The report recommended that health care workers educate Somali mothers on C-sections and why they’re required. In order to prevent messages lost in the translation, the report recommended that any education be provided in the Somali language.

It was also recommended that Western health providers embrace culturally fitting childbearing options if they don’t cause health problems to the mother and her unborn baby.

The report suggested that in order to improve the relationship between Somali patients and caretakers, Western health providers should “better understand Somali culture and belief systems related to reproductive health care.”

© 2013 Ibrahim Hirsi

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Displaced women still vulnerable in Mogadishu

Having fled violence in their home regions, Somali women remain at risk from sexual predators while in temporary homes. Mogadishu, Somalia - After a protracted conflict that has lasted more than two decades, there's now a sense of relative calm and security in Somalia. The unidentifiable gunmen that patrolled the streets have been replaced by men in smart uniforms. Road blocks that once divided the city between government and al-Shabab controlled areas have been removed; traffic flows freely. Somalis are flocking to the beach, old houses are being renovated and are glistening with fresh coats of paint. But not everybody enjoys the newly found sense of security. Camps filled with Internally Displaced Persons - people forced to flee the violence and insecurity of their home regions - are still a common sight. But for the women who live in them, violence and insecurity are still pertinent issues.  "Some of them were armed with AK47s. They slapped me, ordered me outside and raped me. They did all kind of things to me. I couldn't fight them or defend myself. How could I against seven armed men?" - Nura Hirsi, rape survivor Nura Hirsi is a young widow living in an IDP camp of West Mogadishu. She says she was raped by seven government soldiers when they forced entry into her home on Saturday, December 29. "It was 1am, my children were sleeping when these men entered my house," she told Al Jazeera. "Some of them were armed with AK47s. They slapped me, ordered me outside and raped me. They did all kind of things to me. I couldn't fight them or defend myself. How could I against seven armed men?" Nura said that nobody would come to help her during the attack. "People are afraid to leave their houses at night to come see what is happening. Everybody is afraid; they are scared for their lives. "After they left, I cried. In the morning I went to the hospital and they gave me some medicine to take, but I didn't tell them of all that took place. They are Somalis and I don't want people to know." Authorities do not take allegations of rape - even gang-rape - seriously, she said. "I went to the police but they were not really interested. People get killed in Mogadishu; I didn't die. To them rape isn't so serious. Nobody is ever arrested. Even the person in charge of the IDP camp was not interested. He didn't say anything when I told him. I would even like to speak to the radio stations - but who will give me that chance?"  The new Somali government has only been in power for two months, but, according to the Director General at the Ministry for Labour, Youth and Sports, Aweis Haddad, state troops are not primarily responsible for the sexual violence against women such as Nura. "A lot of people are able to put on government uniforms and pretend to be the police or the army, but they are not. In some cases it's the Shabab," he said. "We treat every crime seriously. If people in government are found to behind such things, action will be taken."  Stigma of rape Abdalle Muumin is a Somali journalist. He said much of the country's media ignored sexual violence, leading to an enduring stigma faced by rape victims. "There is a culture in Somalia, where a victim of rape will report that so-and-so attempted to rape them, but nobody is ever comfortable to come forward, speak up and say that they were raped," he said. "Another reason why you don't hear anything about IDP-related news is because editors and media owners are not interested in that. When reporters file news regarding IDPs it is not aired; in fact it's referred to as shuban biyood["diarrhoea"]. "Editors and owners are more interested in political news; it cost money to produce a radio package. In politics, there is money." Fartun Abdisalaan Adan is a co-founder of Sister Somalia, an organisation formed in 2010 which opened the first rape crisis centre in Mogadishu. Attitudes towards rape are slowly changing, she said. The subject is no longer taboo - but a lot more needs to be done to tackle it: "When we first started our work, there was a lot of denial from the government and men, and a lot of women were ashamed to speak up - but slowly we gained their trust. Now people in Somalia talk about it, no-one can deny that it is happening, although the response is still slow." "Women in the IDP camps are especially vulnerable... A man can come in any time and do whatever he wants to you, knowing he will get away with it." - Fartun Abdisalaan Adan, Sister Somalia Rape is still a huge problem, however, and as many as seven new victims arrive each week at Sister Somalia's Mogadishu office alone. "Women in the IDP camps are especially vulnerable. If you look at IDP camps, it is mostly lone women with children who live there," she said. "[The camp] is not a house, there is no door. A man can come in any time and do whatever he wants to you, knowing he will get away with it. "When [victims of rape] come to our office, our first reaction is to take them to a hospital to get medical help and pay their fees; then it's back to our centre where the counselling begins. We also discuss whether they want to go back to their home, if they choose to move then we assist them with relocation. We have also established a safe house where they can stay temporarily until suitable accommodation is found. Currently, we are assisting around 400 women who have been raped or whose daughters were raped." The safe house is especially useful to young girls who have run away from their families after becoming pregnant as a result of rape. "Younger girls, often 16 or 17, are usually afraid to tell their parents they have been raped and may now be pregnant, for fear they will not be believed, especially by their fathers; so they run away and stay at our centre. These younger victims are the ones who are most reluctant to report they were raped because they are also worried about their future and whether being a victim of rape will lessen their chances for marriage."  'Not a women's issue' Speaking via a telephone from Galcayo, south central Somalia, humanitarian activist and this year's Nansen Refugee Award winner, Hawa Aden Mohammed, expressed concerns about the cultural reservation among victims to speak out, as well as the seeming culture of impunity for the perpetrators of sexual violence. "It is not so easy to pursue legal action when the law is so relaxed or non-existent," she told Al Jazeera. "In my experience, 90 percent of women who were raped are reluctant to go to authorities because they are afraid or they are not confident anything will be done. There is also a need to educate; a lot of these women feel ashamed, they view themselves as haram, spoiled, dirty - and are unwilling to talk about it. "The government needs to do more to address the issue of violence against women in all its forms. This is not a women's issue, it is a society issue." Back at the ministry for labour, youth and sports, Aweis Haddad concluded: "The government is doing it best to prevent such things. One of the first things that president did when he came to office is speak out against rape and gender based violence." Names of rape survivors have been changed to protect their identity. The headline of this article has been altered since its original publication. Follow Laila Ali on Twitter: @LailaInNairobi Source: Aljazeera.com

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Somalia: let’s talk about women.

Somalia: let’s talk about women.

by Farhia Ali Abdi
Monday, October 08, 2012

“Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance”.  Kofi Annan  

Every culture encompasses a broad spectrum of norms, myths and perceptions that people adopt as individuals living within a local region. These practices, stories and points of view are later accepted as social expectation, or social fact within the larger society. These constructions of social and cultural expression vary from one culture to another. In this context, Somali society for example, is structured on clan-based social organs, with male clan leaders wielding greater traditional authority than that of the national government. As a consequence, men have gained almost unlimited control over socio-economic, political and cultural powers within the Somalia state of affairs, and rendering Somali women at a significant disadvantage.

Many Somali men still consider themselves as the head of the family, with the concurrent belief that members of the family, including spouses are nothing but possessions. And although Somali women tend to have an education and more independence than women in other parts of the Muslim world and gender rights have yet to materialize in Somali society. Within this complicated paradox, Somali women do continue to contribute socially, politically and economically to their communities, regions and the country at large. Most of these efforts, however, are done in silence and behind closed doors due to the historically imposed cultural limitations. Their contributions have not yet enhanced the status of women, nor earned them respect in the Somali society. Women are still expected to look after family members while men decide the future of social-economic and political development of the country without women’s input or consensus.

The general discourse in women narrative often assumes that they (women) are one of the most vulnerable, victimized and impacted groups in a society, and this undermines the crucial role of women as actors and equal partner in the decision-making process. In this regard, Somali culture, in particular, has downplayed women’s roles in socio-political and economic development, which has subsequently resulted in gender disparity and systematic discrimination against women. A good example is the current selection process on parliamentarians of where Somali women have once again been undermined by the lack of respecting for the stipulated 30% quota. 

Exclusion of women from the current political process in Somalia, clearly illustrates disrespect and discrimination against women, and undermines the agreed upon the constitutional principle. It is through such practices that Somali women’s talents, skills and experience continue to go unrecognized, under-valued and under-utilized. Somali society must therefore find alternative polices that will address gender equity issues and increase participation and representation of women at all levels of the decision-making process.  Somali leaders and the international community should not ignore the concepts of gender biases and the influence of dominant cultural practices that renders women at a disadvantage and disables their talents, creativity and their visions for an inclusive, democratic and prosperous society. The already huge and growing number of well-educated and talented women should not be denied equal participation in nation building of their beloved country simply because of their gender. The time is here and now to acknowledge and recognize the talents of Somali women and to genuinely respect their desire to be an equal partner in all walks of life within their particular communities and within leadership roles at all levels of Somali governance.

Historical Contributions:

Women in Somalia have participated in and contributed extensively to the history of the country. Women were instrumental in the struggle for the country’s freedom and independence. As active participants in the Somali Youth League (SYL) movement throughout the 1940s and 1950s, women organized and recruited new members, promoted and raised patriotic awareness, collected funds and membership fees, secured housing and concealed nationalists from authorities.  Many were imprisoned, tortured and killed, as they fought for the Somali flag. These remarkable contributions and struggles of Somali's women freedom fighters were notably cited by the death of Hawa Osman Taako, who was killed 1948 in a Somali Youth League headquarters.  Notwithstanding such outstanding sacrifices at the forefront during the fight for liberty and freedom of Somalia, women were and continue to be excluded from any meaningful contributions within the political leadership roles.

Thus, there is genuine discontent, among Somali women today; that they are suffering from this problem of exclusion, a problem not of their own making, but that they are forced to endure. Even so, Somali women are and have been the backbone of Somali’s economy and remain as caretakers of family, children, and extended families since the start of the civil war in 1991. Women continue to contribute tirelessly to maintain a sustainable and a viable state in Somalia, including the remittance by Diaspora's women to alleviate family's suffering and to the NGOs that are helping refugees inside and outside the country. Somalia without Somali women, therefore, cannot be considered a sustainable society that can strive for socio-cultural and political change.  One can argue that, if Somali women knew what worked in wartime, they should know what can work in peace time, and if this is the case, they should be at the forefront in rebuilding their country as advisors, policy makers and peace builders. Indeed, Somali women are not interested in war, but in the peace and security of their families, regions and the country at large. Somali women believe in dialogue as the only method to achieve lasting peace.

The question of gender equality:

Societies, where people feel free to seek and hold their dreams, regardless of their gender, prosper democratically with greater social equality. This does not imply that Somalia in the future with greater gender diversity will be perfect, utopian. However, it might well become an ideal for the region, or at least represent a better option than that of the present and the past eras. As a country, we are in dire need to talk about the elimination of social injustices, including unequal gender participation and discrimination.  We need to talk about Somali women and their place in Somali society.

The recent draft constitution recognizes Somali women’s rights and grants more equal participation in future Somali governments by designating a 30% quota.  The inclusion of women in the constitution is a welcome sign that has ignited excitement and hope among Somali women who are geared to take part in the decision-making process of their country’s affairs.  At the sometime, the inclusion of gender in the constitution has brought to the surface the views of some Somali men who resist the progress of women and who hide behind religion and attitudes from a pre-dated cultural era. Consequently, women’s movement among Somali women has begun today, both inside and outside of the country, as more Somali women are speaking out and taking center stage in the affairs of their country. The issues and concerns over the gender divide, and biases have also came to the surface in every region in Somalia, as witnessed by the recent demonstrations all over the country and the public outcry in which women demand their rights be respected, and that they be allowed to take their rightful place in the socio-political and economic development of the country. It appears that society’s cultural consciousness is awakening and that this emerging social awareness, may lead, hopefully, to a host of other social movements as was the case with the women’s movement during the sixties in the United States and elsewhere in the world.

The way forward:

“Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, to absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to play on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.”   Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Compared to the recent past, Somali women today are well-educated and constitute an ever burgeoning portion of the talent pool available within the country. To not fully utilize Somali women’s talents will hinder the country’s future competitiveness. Regardless of cultural views, gender equality should be every country's priority. Somalia is no different than any other country on this planet in this respect and must provide the same rights, responsibilities and opportunities to all its citizens. Somalia as a nation, therefore, has a number of cultural attitudes and political perceptions to adapt and adjust for the benefit of all. 

The following points are keys to making progress in this regard:

i.   Recognize the effective contributions of Somali women in the country’s leaderships within both public and political organizations.

ii.  Approve the right of Somali women to partake in the current and the future Somali government (s) with a guaranteed 30 % quota and consideration given to increasing the quota to narrow the historical gender divide in the country.

iii.  Accept Somali women’s involvement in all leadership roles within the Somali government without reference to cultural or gender biases that render ineffective their contributions to the country’s affairs.

iv.  Utilize Somali women’s talents more broadly in public office and private- enterprise.

v.  Engage in social political and cultural awareness campaigns to promote the effective and potential contributions of Somali women in all aspects of political, social and cultural development of their country.

vi.  Treat women’s rights as a shared responsibility of rightful citizens of the land.

vii. Support Somali women in the workplace as equal partners building a safe and vibrant society.            

viii. Reconcile religious and cultural attitudes and points of view that limit women’s rights and abilities to effectively contribute in Somali community.

ix. And finally, consider women issues in Somalia as a core human rights concern supported by the government and by international community partners.

Somali women have committed themselves to the nationalist cause both in the past and in the present by raising political consciousness, yet they continue to find themselves outside of the very political institutions they are fighting for and outside the history upon which the country was built. Women have struggled for recognition and equality in all aspects of their lives. Today, Somali women continue to struggle for the basic rights and recognition they deserve.

Today Somalia is, at a critical juncture in terms of achieving recognition for women. Accepting the women’s quota and taking action to increase future participation in government to an even greater extent is a crucial plank in achieving equality for women in the political arena and in other influential leadership positions. My hope is that we all join as strong advocates for the creation of an inclusive government and a country that is free of all discrimination against women.

---

Farhia Ali Abdi
guure@rogers.com

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Half the Sky: Edna Adan’s Crusade for Women’s Health

                                                                                                     Image credit: Joshua Bennett

By Teri Whitcraft

Edna Adan has spent much of her life being first.  The daughter of  a prominent medical doctor in Somaliland,  she was the first girl in her country to learn to read, the first Somali woman to drive, the first certified nurse-midwife,  and the first lady of Somalia — her husband was Prime Minister Ibrahim Egal.

But this 75-year-old former UN diplomat who has rubbed shoulders with presidents and kings says her greatest achievement is her most recent:  building the first maternity hospital in her country.

“It was something I’d always wanted to do – to build a hospital,” Adan told ABC News. “I could have retired and lived somewhere else in the world, but I think I would have found it difficult to live with myself.   I would have been spending a lot of time playing bridge or worrying about do I wear Gucci or some other fashion designer’s scarf or watch or belt….”

Instead, in 1991.  Adan cashed in her pension from the World Health Organization,  sold all of her jewelry and belongings – including her favorite car, a Mercedes – and spent $300,000 of her own money to build a hospital.

“I do miss my car – yes,” Adan says.  “But what it has become gives me far more satisfaction. The forceps,  the instruments, the construction material that it has helped to provide is far more exciting. …Besides, what would I do with a Mercedes in a country that has no paved roads?”

Building a Dream on a Garbage Dump

Somalia has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. Every year, one baby in eight dies in infancy while nearly 4,000 Somali women die in childbirth.   Yet when Adan wanted to build the first maternity  hospital in her country, the only available plot of land was a garbage dump in the slums of Hargeisa.

“It was a sore, an ulcer in the center of town,” Adan says of the site. “[The government] carted away 32 truckloads of garbage from it. …Now I live in it.  I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world. That’s my home, my hospital, that’s where hope to spend whatever days God gives me.”

Today, the Edna Adan University Hospital  has treated over 14,000 patients and delivered more than 12,000 babies.

“Edna is saving women’s lives in childbirth in one of the most difficult, desolate countries in the world – Somaliland,” says New York Times op-ed columnist Nick Kristof, who wrote about Adan in Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.   “She is training midwives across the country, she has built a hospital that serves women, men, and children, she is fighting female genital mutilation,  and she is doing all of this just by force of will….It’s an incredible achievement.”

1,000 Midwives… and Counting

But Edna Adan isn’t about to stop now.   On the eve of a 4-hour documentary special  on PBS about Half the Sky, which features Edna’s hospital among other stories, Adan is setting the bar even higher.

“My goal is to train 1,000 midwives so we will have trained midwives  throughout the country.” she says.  “If the woman who delivers [the children] is one who has been given some training and who can prevent complications and who can understand risks…women will have a better chance of survival.  And that’s my hope, that’s my goal.  And if I leave before I do it, I leave that legacy to the world. It’s got to be done.”

“If she says 1,000 midwives, bet on 10,000,”  says Kristof, only half joking.  His fondest hope, he says,  is that Half the Sky will not only inform people about challenges facing women, but also help galvanize support in America so Adan can realize her dream.

“I think it’s a privilege to be able to support her,” he says.  ”I’ve seen some of these midwives she’s trained, and they are little Ednas.  She is replicating her drive, her talent,  her knowledge and her enthusiasm and her ability to save lives.”

And Adan’s enthusiasm is contagious.  “This little hospital – built on a garbage dump by a crazy old woman who should have retired a long time ago -  has reduced maternal mortality rate of the women who come here to one-quarter of  the national average,” she says.  “And if Somaliland can do it – a poor country that is not politically recognized, then any other country can do it, too.”

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