Who we are
The Hawa Abdi Foundation was one of the first NGOs to open in Somalia, and aims to provide quality health care, education that the local nurses and midwives need, and aid the empowerment of women in their communities.
The goal of Dr. Hawa Abdi, the driving force behind the Hawa Abdi Foundation and Hawa Abdi Village, was to help women in Somalia, and especially in the Lower Shabelle area to have better access to health care and education. When the war started, she started to try to provide safety to those seeking shelter on her land.
She has two daughters, Deqa and Amina, both doctors, who grew up feeding the refugees who had fled the fighting in Mogadishu and were living on their mother’s land.
They both later became doctors so as to help her continue her work. Her son Ahmed was also in medical school when he was killed in a car accident.
U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called Dr Abdi “a perfect example of the kind of woman who inspires me”.
Our Mission
The mission of the Foundation is to make sure that as many of those who come to us as possible get treatment, shelter and water. We know that we can’t treat, house everyone, feed everyone, or even give everyone water to drink, but we do our best to save as many as we can, no matter what their clan : while Somali society is divided in clans, we help all those that come to us, no matter what their clan, because we believe that it is the best way to bring back hope. We try to provide the best quality healthcare possible. We cannot treat patients as well as we would if we had access to modern equipment or enough staff to look after everyone, because we do not have modern equipment or enough doctors, but we can save lives every day, mostly those of malnourished children, who are the most vulnerable amongst the most vulnerable. We can reduce female mortality by providing a clean environment for deliveries, and we educate women, and their children, through a school and a women’s center. We make sure that domestic violence is not tolerated on our grounds.
What we do
The Hawa Abdi village provides food, shelter, and medical care to over 90’000 refugees who have fled the fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia. There is also a school, which can currently accommodate 850 of the camp’s 27’000 children, with classes for children aged 7 to 18. In other words, we have built an island of hope in a sea of violence, and we need your help to keep it alive.
How you can help
The easiest way to help is a simple donation.