Nansen Refugee Award winner brings knowledge and hope to displaced Somalis

When Hawa Aden Mohamed was a young girl, her father decided to send her to school. It was to change her life and those whose lives she touched.

By Clar Ni Chonghaile  |  18 September 2012   |  Español

Nansen Refugee Award winner Mama Hawa brings education to Somali women.  © UNHCR/F.Juez

GALKAYO, Somalia, September 18 (UNHCR) - When Hawa Aden Mohamed was a young girl, her father made a decision that would change her life - and through her, transform the lives of thousands of Somali girls. He sent her to school.

Hawa Aden Mohamed went on to earn two university degrees before launching an ambitious programme to educate and empower Somali women and girls, many of them displaced by conflict or famine. Today, UNHCR announced that she has won the 2012 Nansen Refugee Award, which honours extraordinary service to those who flee war or persecution.

"Without education, you are unaware of so many things," Hawa Aden Mohamed said in a recent interview in the town of Galkayo, some 600 kilometres north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. "Without education, you do not exist much - physically yes, but mentally and emotionally, you do not exist."

Once a refugee herself, Hawa Aden Mohamed returned to her homeland in 1995 and discovered her calling. As co-founder of the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development (GECPD), she has helped restore hope and opportunity to local residents as well as those seeking refuge from the nation's long-running conflict and recurring droughts.

The centre offers free schooling to girls as well as literacy and awareness classes for women, tailoring courses, vocational training for boys, and food and other relief items to the displaced. Since it opened in 1999, the number of girls receiving education in the Mudug district has risen from 7 per cent to 40 per cent, the highest in the country, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

GECPD encourages women and girls to see themselves as full members of society who possess fundamental human rights. And it openly addresses the complex issues of female genital mutilation, puberty, early marriage, rape and HIV/AIDS.

Local residents were initially wary of Hawa Aden Mohamed's aims. "The mosques spoke of us, said we were devils … but we just kept quiet," she said. "It calmed down, when they saw how many, almost 250 women, were taking classes in adult education. We had built around 12 schools."

Won over by the centre's success, the people of Galkayo now call her Eedo (aunt) or Mama Hawa. "We always say there is hope, we should not lose our hope, our torch of life," she said. "We say this, but in reality it's very difficult, especially for women and children."

Born in the town of Baidoa in 1949, Mama Hawa lost a sister, Fatouma, who was circumcised around age seven and died soon afterwards from an infection. Their aunt, who organized the circumcision, did not know any better, she said. "The word 'why' was not there."

Mama Hawa continued her schooling in Mogadishu and then spent eight years in India, earning degrees in nutrition and child development. She returned home to work for Somalia's Ministry of Education, where she headed the department of women's education, and later opened a clothing business with one of her sisters.

When the military dictator Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991, she fled to Kismayo, Somalia's southern port city, and then to Kenya. She moved to Canada through a family reunification programme, but her heart was in Somalia.

Returning to her homeland in 1995, she set up a women's education centre in Kismayo. She fled a few years later when rival militia turned the town into a battleground. "I even came without my glasses," she recalled. "I left them behind, everything left behind."

She came back from exile a second time in 1999 and settled in Galkayo, as her husband was working at a nearby research institute.

In recent years GECPD has begun working with boys, too. It offers carpentry and welding classes as well as a recreational space to help keep young boys off the streets and prevent them from falling into the clutches of pirates or armed groups.

Amid a slight improvement in the political situation, Mama Hawa and her team are teaching girls about the new constitution, so that they will know their rights.

"Education never finishes," she said. "Every day you will see something new. Myself, I am not well educated. I cannot say everything. Education is always a continuous learning process. Education is everything."

By Clar Ni Chonghaile in Galkayo, Somalia

  • Mama Hawa Aden Mohamed oversees a tailoring class at the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development (GECPD) in Somalia. The seamstresses produce reusable “dignity” kits, consisting of underwear that will be distributed with homemade pads. These are given to displaced women and refugees around Galkayo and further afield.
    Mama Hawa Aden Mohamed oversees a tailoring class at the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development (GECPD) in Somalia. The seamstresses produce reusable “dignity” kits, consisting of underwear that will be distributed with homemade pads. These are given to displaced women and refugees around Galkayo and further afield.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • A tailoring class at the GECPD centre in Galkayo, Somalia. Displaced women are particularly vulnerable and have often been victims of domestic violence and rape. The skills training gives them hope for a better future.
    A tailoring class at the GECPD centre in Galkayo, Somalia. Displaced women are particularly vulnerable and have often been victims of domestic violence and rape. The skills training gives them hope for a better future.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Mama Hawa speaks to a group of internally displaced women at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo, Somalia. She believes that "illiteracy in women is the reason why they can't demand their rights."
    Mama Hawa speaks to a group of internally displaced women at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo, Somalia. She believes that "illiteracy in women is the reason why they can't demand their rights."  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Young IDP girls learn new tailoring skills in Galkayo, Somalia. This training provides an income for the girls. "Seeing these girls earning a living, it is a good feeling,"
    Young IDP girls learn new tailoring skills in Galkayo, Somalia. This training provides an income for the girls. "Seeing these girls earning a living, it is a good feeling,"  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Mama Hawa works to empower women and girls, whom she regards as the backbone of society.
    Mama Hawa works to empower women and girls, whom she regards as the backbone of society.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Mama Hawa is the formidable force behind an ambitious education programme for women and girls in Galkayo, Somalia.
    Mama Hawa is the formidable force behind an ambitious education programme for women and girls in Galkayo, Somalia.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Mama Hawa hands a trophy to the winning team in a football tournament. The GECPD offers vocational training for boys, and provides food and non-food relief to the displaced.
    Mama Hawa hands a trophy to the winning team in a football tournament. The GECPD offers vocational training for boys, and provides food and non-food relief to the displaced.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Mothers of the winning soccer team celebrate their sons' triumph.
    Mothers of the winning soccer team celebrate their sons' triumph.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • The victorious women's basketball team parade with a trophy before jubilant supporters at the training centre Mama Hawa established in Galkayo, Somalia.
    The victorious women's basketball team parade with a trophy before jubilant supporters at the training centre Mama Hawa established in Galkayo, Somalia.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Displaced Somali girls play basketball at the GECPD resource centre in Galkayo, Somalia.
    Displaced Somali girls play basketball at the GECPD resource centre in Galkayo, Somalia.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Two students work on a project at the centre's carpentry training programme. Forty boys from different IDP settlements in Galkayo have graduated this year.
    Two students work on a project at the centre's carpentry training programme. Forty boys from different IDP settlements in Galkayo have graduated this year.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • Internally displaced Somali boys listen to a lecture about soccer strategy at the Education Centre for Peace and Development in Galkayo.
    Internally displaced Somali boys listen to a lecture about soccer strategy at the Education Centre for Peace and Development in Galkayo.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • A young IDP boy at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo, Somalia. Most children in the settlements grow up in harsh living conditions, with limited access to basic facilities such as schools and hospitals.
    A young IDP boy at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo, Somalia. Most children in the settlements grow up in harsh living conditions, with limited access to basic facilities such as schools and hospitals. © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • IDP women and children gather outside their makeshift homes at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo.
    IDP women and children gather outside their makeshift homes at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • An IDP girl at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo. With limited access to formal education, most IDP girls are confined to conducting household chores. Since the GECPD began its work in 1999, the percentage of girls receiving education in the area has risen from approximately 7 per cent to 40 per cent, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
    An IDP girl at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo. With limited access to formal education, most IDP girls are confined to conducting household chores. Since the GECPD began its work in 1999, the percentage of girls receiving education in the area has risen from approximately 7 per cent to 40 per cent, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).  © UNHCR/F.Juez
  • A smiling IDP girl plays with her younger brother at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo, Somalia. Decades of civil war and famine have robbed children of a permanent place to call home.
    A smiling IDP girl plays with her younger brother at the Halabokhad settlement in Galkayo, Somalia. Decades of civil war and famine have robbed children of a permanent place to call home.  © UNHCR/F.Juez
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    One of the finest and most outstanding musical voices of our time, singer/songwriter, human rights activist and UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador Annie Lennox is celebrated as an innovator, an icon and a symbol of enduring excellence. Annie's music career is peerless, with over 80 million record sales to date. Her tireless charity work and role in elevating the cause of HIV/AIDS is widely praised, earning her many prestigious awards and honours. © Mike Owen
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