For the last twenty years, the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation (DHAF) has dedicated itself to providing healthcare, food and shelter to Somalis fleeing the violence of the civil war. Our organization is dependent on the contributions of supporters like you to continue our work. Donate and make an impact now.
How We Make an Impact
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Updates
McClung’s Magazine
May 21st, 2013
DHAF’s Director of Education, Faisal Ahmad, discusses what he loves about working for DHAF, challenges and opportunities facing Somalia in the Spring issue of McClung’s Magazine.
Read all about it here.
Waaberi Project
May 21st, 2013
Thank you to the Waaberi Project for featuring Dr. Hawa’s work on their website. Read the article here.
The Waaberi Project is created to change the negative perception of Somalia through creating a platform to promote, inform, and discuss the positive aspect of Somalia and the Somali diaspora.
Hawa Abdi: Saving thousands in Somalia
April 19th, 2013
Matthew Bannister interviews Dr. Hawa Abdi on BBC Outlook. Listen to the interview here:
Keeping Hope Alive: How one brave woman saved thousands
April 19th, 2013
Dr. Hawa Abdi and co-author Sarah J. Robbins of Keeping Hope Alive are featured on Canada’s most watched national morning program, Canada AM on CTV, interviewed by co-host Marci Ien.
“Mother Teresa of Somalia” Hawa Abdi and Daughter Deqo Mohamed on Healing Decades of War, Tragedy
April 17th, 2013
Dr. Hawa Abdi and Dr. Deqo Mohamed were featured on Democracy Now!, speaking to Amy Goodman and Aaron Maté on how to heal from and deal with violence in a touching two-part interview.
Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards 2013
April 17th, 2013
At the 2013 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards, Dr. Hawa was honoured to receive the Fern Holland Award in recognition her crucial work in human rights and women empowerment. Thank you to Vital Voices for the continued support to the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation throughout the past years, and for putting together the following beautiful animated video capturing Dr. Hawa’s inspirational humanitarian work!
Mama Hawa Spring 2013 Book Tour
February 17th, 2013
Mama Hawa’s moving memoir, Keeping Hope Alive: One Woman: 90,000 Lives Changed, hits the bookshelves on April 2nd, and she is touring North America this spring with her daughter Deqo and co-author Sarah J. Robbins.
Please check out the below schedule to see if they will be visiting a city near you, and for questions or more information on the tour, please email us at contact@dhaf.org.
Washington, DC – April 3rd – Embassy of Finland and Vital Voices Global Partnership at 5:30pm (Please RSVP)
St. Louis, MO – April 6th – Left Bank Books at 7:00pm
Chicago, IL – April 8th – Anderson’s Book Shop at 7:00pm
Minneapolis, MN – April 9th – Magers and Quinn at 7:30pm
Columbus, OH – April 11th – Barnes & Noble at 6:00pm
Columbus, OH – April 12th – Ohio State University at 2:30pm
Seattle, WA – April 13th – University Book Store at 7:00pm
Seattle, WA – April 14th – New Holly Gathering Hall at 5:00pm
Arlington, TX – April 15th – University of Texas with Dock Bookshop and Amoud Foundation at 7:00pm
Fort Worth and Irving, TX – April 16th – Islamic Center of Irving with Dock Bookshop and Amoud Foundation at 7:00pm
Toronto, ON – April 18th – University of Toronto – Dalla Lana School of Public Health at 5:00pm
Toronto, ON – April 19th – Panorama Court Community Centre at 5:00pm
A Bright New Year
January 15th, 2013
The Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation would like to sincerely thank all our donors and the Vital Voices Foundation for their generous contributions to keep the Hawa Abdi Hospital open for the rest of 2013!
We are immensely grateful for all your support, which came at an incredible time of need. It is only with the compassionate hearts of our donors that we are able to continue our services to provide essential medical care to Somalis in need.
The ability to operate with a secure budget allows DHAF to re-focus its efforts towards improving the quality of healthcare, widening access and delivery of our services, as well as expand on development projects in the field of agriculture, education, and sanitation.
Thank you once again for all your support and belief in DHAF. We are excited to advance into the brand new year with renewed hope and energy!
Appeal to Keep the Hawa Abdi Hospital Open
December 15th, 2012 
Our Vital Voices Friendship
December 7th, 2012 
Vital Voices started working with Dr. Hawa in 2009, before the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation formally acquired its 501(c)(3) status. Before 2010, Vital Voices was the only 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the USA that accepted donations and thereby fostered financial support of Dr. Hawa’s work in Somalia.
Today, DHAF is an officially registered US charitable organization and we are pleased to issue charitable tax receipts to anyone who donates directly to our organization.
However, Vital Voices continues to partner with DHAF, using its vast networks to support our hospital in Somalia. Every penny that Vital Voices collects for Dr. Hawa in their online campaign goes directly to DHAF in support of our field operations.
Whether you give online through Vital Voices or DHAF, your support ends up in the same place and 100% of your donation will directly support Dr. Hawa’s life-saving humanitarian operations.
Vital Voices has been a stalwart friend to Dr. Hawa throughout this journey. Thank you for being part of our story!
DONATE NOW!
Thank You to Our Friends
December 6th, 2012 DHAF graciously thanks Nicholas Kristof at the New York Times and Sarah J. Robbins at the Woman in the World Foundation for their continued support and belief in our work. Nicholas Kristof has recommended DHAF in his annual holiday-giving guide, “Gifts That Change Lives.” We are privileged to be part of his list of wonderful organizations from around the world. Sarah J. Robbins has written a touching piece, “Somalia Update: Dr. Abdi’s Camp – In Danger of Closing?“, highlighting our successes and obstacles faced this year. We are very thankful to have Ms. Robbins help raise awareness for DHAF. 
DHAF is currently struggling to keep the doors of the Hawa Abdi Hospital open for thenext year. Our goal is to raise $65,575 this holiday season in order for us to continue providing essential healthcare for the 90,000 Somali women, men, and children in the Hawa Abdi Village.
Newsletter and a Warm Wish to Our Donors this Holiday Season
December 2nd, 2012
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Camp Resettlement Operation
November 22nd, 2012 The Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation is currently in the midst of returning tens of thousands of refugees to their homes and is once again in need of your support! Over the last summer, tens of thousands of IDPs under the care of the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation were forced to flee
from their homes as insurgents from Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen clashed openly with the forces of the Transitional Federal Government in the Afgooye Corridor. The majority of the families in the Afgooye Corridor were forced to flee with little more than the clothes on their backs, as chaos and violence enveloped the region. Now that the conflict has passed and the Afgooye Corridor is relatively safe once again, the tens of thousands of Hawa Abdi Villagers are slowly but steadily beginning to return to the camp to reclaim their belongings and rebuild their lives. During this extremely arduous and difficult process of resettlement, the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation is asking its sponsors for assistance in making the resettlement process less taxing on the IDPs who have gone through so much turmoil over the last six months. We are in specific need of:
- Mosquito Nets: The rainy season has caused a significant mosquito problem in the camp that is afflicting our IDPs significantly. For the cost of $5, you can buy a mosquito net for our camp’s residents. If DHAF raises $750 dollars, we can protect 150 of our families from mosquitos, thus stemming the spread of malaria in our community.
- Funding for daily meals: We are currently feeding as many families as we can with the maize harvested from Doctor Hawa’s farm, but in order to meet our growing needs we require additional resources from our partners. For as little as $15 dollars, a child at our camp can be fed for an entire month (50 cents per day).
- Latrines and other personal hygiene facilities: The camp suffered significant damage to its infrastructure during the fighting over the summer. For $350, a latrine can be constructed for our IDPs. Sanitation facilities reduce the incidences of diseases and infections, and will allow our IDPs to attain a measure of dignity in these difficult times.
Every day, more and more families are coming to the Hawa Abdi Village to reclaim their homes and rebuild their lives. By supporting our foundation and its initiatives, you can join us in lighting a candle of hope for these stricken refugees so that we can continue our efforts to build a better future for Somalia. 
Waqaf-Dhiblawe School now in session
November 17th, 2012 The Doctor Hawa Abdi Foundation is very pleased to announce that the Waqaf-Dhiblawe Primary School was finally able to open its doors for a new academic year last Saturday (which are Mondays in Somalia!). This is a school that is entering its third year of operation and serves as the only source of free education in the region.
Students in line at the opening ceremony
At our opening ceremony, most of our students were entering grade one and are beginning lessons in English, Math, Somali, and Arabic. After all the delays that the school suffered after the conflict that raged through the Afgooye Corridor over the summer, we are extremely pleased to have our children and teachers back in the classroom. This year, we are in the process of expanding our school facilities in order to enhance student learning. Our major projects are:
- Teacher mentorship program: We are currently in process of creating an Internet teacher mentorship network to build a connection between our teachers and professional Somali educators from the Diaspora. This will serve as a support network where our school teachers can enhance their classroom teaching abilities through discussing lesson plans, exchanging ideas on classroom management skills with their respective mentors.
- Construction of a Library: We are presently in the process of building a school library for our children. This library will be stocked with Somali, Arabic, and English reading material. The facility will serve as a quiet place for students to study, as well as a suitable meeting place for teachers to meet with parents to discuss their children’s education. The library room is a longstanding request from both our teachers and students, and we are very excited to see it put together!
- Construction of a Science Lab: This academic year will be the first time that the school will be offering Grade 8 courses, which includes science as part of the curriculum. The lab will allow children to work with a few basic chemistry sets, containing beakers and other basic scientific supplies.
The Waqaf-Dhiblawe School is a grades 1 – 8 school that offers free education in a region that has been blighted by civil strife. We are very proud to be able to offer the opportunity to give our children an education and protect them from the blights of illiteracy and poverty. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Your donation can greatly contribute to our budget for education. This means your money can help purchase essential and necessary school materials. Our priority currently is to gather sufficient funds to purchase textbooks and school suppliesto enhance the quality of education and experience for the children.
In other news, our Women’s Education Center will be opening two weeks from now. Stay tuned for more updates! A special thank you to the Global Enrichment Foundation, who is generously supporting the operations of the Waqaf-Dhiblawe School.
