Fartuun Abdisalaan Adan ( so, Fartuun Aadan, ar, فارتون آدن) is a
Somali social activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in Social change, social, Political campaign, political, economic or Natural environment, environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes i ...
. She is the Executive Director of the
Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre.
Personal life
Adan grew up in
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. She was married to
Elman Ali Ahmed, a local entrepreneur and
peace activist
A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world pea ...
.
The couple had four daughters.
In 1996, during the height of the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Adan's husband was killed near the family's home in southern
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...
.
Adan subsequently emigrated to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
in 1999.
In 2007, she returned to Somalia to advocate for peace and human rights.
On November 20, 2019, local authorities confirmed her daughter
Almaas Elman, who had also returned to Somalia as an aid worker, had been shot and killed in a car, near the Mogadishu airport.
[
]
Career
Adan is the Executive Director of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre, a Mogadishu-based NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
established in honour of her late husband.
Awards
In 2013, Adan was presented an International Women of Courage Award
The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...
from the United States Department of State.Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
for her work with the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre.Ilwad Elman
Ilwad Elman ( so, Ilwaad Elman) is a Somali-Canadian social activist. She works at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu alongside her mother Fartuun Adan, the NGO's founder. She was voted the African Young Personality (Female) ...
was among the finalists nominated for the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity in 2017.[Aurora Prize.]
2017 finalists.
References
External links
Sister Somalia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adan, Fartuun
Living people
Ethnic Somali people
Somalian activists
Somalian women activists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Women human rights activists
Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award