Hawa Aden Mohamed ( so, Xawa Aden Maxamed, ar, حواء عدن محمد) is a Somali social activist. She is the founder and executive director of the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development.

Personal life

Nicknamed ''Hooyo Hawa'' ("Mother Hawa"), Mohamed was born 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 ...

. After the start 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 ...

, she moved 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 ...

. Mohamed returned to her home country in 1995. She subsequently developed an educational programme, working to help women and girls that had been displaced during the conflict. She also advocated against

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

Career

Mohamed is the founder and executive director of the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development (GECPD) in

Galkayo Galkayo ( so, Gaalkacyo, ar, جالكعيو Dr Badal Kariye Ba Bsit Ma Mba & Phd, ''The Kaleidoscopic Lover: The Civil War in the Horn of Africa & My Itinerary for a Peaceful Lover'', (AuthorHouse: 2010), p.116.) which in Af- Somali translates t ...

. Established in 1999, GECPD conducts awareness raising development initiatives and education training for women and girls in three towns and five villages in the

Mudug Mudug ( so, Mudug; it, Mudugh) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in north-central Somalia. The population of Mudug is 131,455 as of 2005. Overview Physiographically, Mudug is bordered to the west by Ethiopia,Országismertető - Szomália ...

province of

Puntland Puntland ( so, Puntland, ar, أرض البنط, it, Terra di Punt or ''Paese di Punt''), officially the Puntland State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya, ar, ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية), is a F ...

. Its local areas of operation include Galkayo,

Galdogob Galdogob ( so, Galdogob, ar, جلدغب) is a border town wholly administered by the semi-autonomous Puntland State of Somalia, and serves as the capital of the Galdogob District within the Mudug region. The town technically straddles the dispu ...

and

Jariban Jariban ( so, Jariiban, ar, جاريبان, it, Geriban) is a town in the north-central Mudug region of Somalia. It is the center of the Jariban District. It is administered by Puntland. Demographics Jariban has a population of approximately 20 ...

, as well as Beyra, Baacad Weyn,

Bali busle Bali busle is a town in the Eastern Sanaag region of Puntland (Somalia). Somaliland also has a claim to the territory, and Dhahar District in the administrative division of Somaliland. After the Somali Civil War, settlements were established to ...

, Bur Sallah and Harfo. The organization provides formal primary education for young girls and second chance education for older girls, serving a total of 781 girls between the ages of 8 and 18. In addition, it offers crocheting, tie and dye, tailoring and other skills training services, as well as capacity building, teacher-training and awareness raising programs on governance, human rights, peace, FGM, democracy and environmental issues. GECPD also offers integrated adult literacy programs for women. The GECPD is funded through the Somali community, private investors and international organizations. Since its establishment, the organization has evolved into a complete education and resource center for women and youth. Its Galkayo headquarters serves as a hub for women organizations, female teachers, businesswomen and women professionals, and includes a resource center, skills training, nutrition and computer units, 38 classrooms, an 80-person capacity conference hall, tree planting areas, and two hostels and training institutes. Additionally, the GECPD operates three to four classrooms outside of its main office.

Awards

Aden has received a number of awards for her work with the GECPD and general social activism. Among these are the 1994 Woman of the Year Award from the Ontario Women's Directorate, the 2001 Voices of Courage Award by the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, the 2003 Outstanding Girl-Child and Transparency & Efficiency Award from Novib at the Somali Civil Society Symposium, the 2004 Marie Claire Top Ten Women of the World award, the 2005 Al Ummu Madrasaa award, the 2005 11th Annual

Ginetta Sagan Award Ginetta Sagan (June 1, 1925 – August 25, 2000) was an Italian-born American human rights activist best known for her work with Amnesty International on behalf of prisoners of conscience. Born in Milan, Italy, Sagan lost her parents in her tee ...

by Amnesty International, and the 2012

Nansen Refugee Award The Nansen Refugee Award is awarded annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to an individual, group, or organization in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, Internally displaced person, displac ...

Personal life

Career

Awards

References

Further reading