The Guardian
One of Somalia's first female gynaecologists, Hawa Abdi now uses her own money to run a small hospital treating everything from war injuries to malnutrition and disease
In 1983 Abdi, one of Somalia's first female gynaecologists, opened a small clinic for women and children on her family farm. When the country descended into civil war in 1991 she opened to all and now the camp near Mogadishu is home to around 90,000 people. , mostly displaced women and children seeking refuge and treatment for everything from war injuries to malnutrition and disease.
When Islamist militants invaded the camp, they took Abdi hostage for a week, saying women should not be allowed to be in control of such a place. "I may be a woman, but I'm a doctor," she said. "What have you done for society?"
As aid agencies have abandoned the dangerous country, Abdi runs her small hospital, often with the help of her daughters Deqo and Amina, who are also doctors, on her own savings and donations. She also helps provide food and clean water, runs a school and literacy classes for women and campaigns against female genital mutilation. This woman, with her education and one-time family wealth, could easily have left her lawless country but she chose to stay: "We women in Somalia are trying to be leaders in our community."
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