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Stories from Girls and Women of Mogadishu

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Stories from Girls and Women of Mogadishu Stories from Girls and Women of Mogadishu Stories from Girls and Women of Mogadishu “Stories from Girls and Women of Mogadishu” Edition 2017/2 Published by CISP – Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (International Committee for the Development of People) – Nairobi Idea and Supervision: Rosaia Ruberto Project Coordination: Francesco Kaburu Development and Editing: Jessica Buchleitner Co-Editor: Sagal Ali Proofreading: Nancee Adams-Taylor Translators from Somali: Tubali Ltd Editorial Coordination: Chiara Camozzi, Xavier Verhoest Design: Annia Arosa Martinez Photos: Abdulkadir Mohamed (Ato), Xavier Verhoest Printing: Executive Printing Works Ltd, Nairobi © CISP, 2017 - Stories from Girls and Women of Mogadishu. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may be shared upon being given prior permission from the editors and the authors. Please write to us: [email protected]. Contents Definitions ................................................................................I CHAPTER FIVE: A Model Citizen .................................................102 Foreword ..................................................................................III Young Minds .................................................................................. 104 Gender Warrior ............................................................................. 108 Introduction ..............................................................................V 4 O’ Clock ....................................................................................... 112 Heritage and Home ...................................................................IX My Voice Is Your Voice ................................................................. 118 Working for My Country .............................................................. 122 When a Somali Girl Becomes a Woman .....................................1 CHAPTER SIX: Foreigner At Home ..............................................124 Great Architects of our Own Future ......................................... 126 CHAPTER ONE: My Greatest Gift ................................................4 Foreigner at Home ....................................................................... 130 My Mother Is My Heart ................................................................ 6 Bare Land ........................................................................................ 134 The Little Light .............................................................................. 10 My Knowledge Is My Power ....................................................... 16 CHAPTER SEVEN: Resilience ......................................................138 Lullabies ......................................................................................... 20 Gunmen in the Forest .................................................................. 140 Learning Humility ......................................................................... 24 Realise Your Potential ................................................................. 146 The Woman With No Face ........................................................... 148 CHAPTER TWO: Going Home .....................................................28 The Businesswoman .................................................................... 154 Our Beautiful Palace on the Beach ........................................... 30 A Journey to Answer Questions ................................................ 38 CHAPTER EIGHT: Health Guardian .............................................158 Something Missing ....................................................................... 40 Cry of the Newborn Baby ........................................................... 160 Bless My Hands ............................................................................. 164 CHAPTER THREE: Stars ..............................................................44 Better Care ..................................................................................... 166 One Dollar for The Future........................................................... 46 My own unique way ..................................................................... 170 One of My People ......................................................................... 52 I Sold My Baby ............................................................................... 54 Police Woman ................................................................................ 56 Mogadishu, Our Future..............................................................171 One Does Not Rise on Her Own ................................................ 60 Promoting Rights, Protecting Women .......................................173 My Dream ....................................................................................... 62 A small step in the right direction .............................................175 Setting the Scene ......................................................................65 Acknowledgements ..................................................................177 CHAPTER FOUR: Memories ........................................................86 I Shed Tears .................................................................................... 88 Close to My Father ....................................................................... 94 From Yemen to Somalia .............................................................. 96 Diaspora: (noun) The movement, migration or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland. Also, a group of people who live outside the area in Definitions which they lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived. IInternally displaced person (IDP): (noun) someone who is forced to flee his or her Migrant: (noun) Any person who lives temporarily or permanently in a country where he home but who remains within his or her country’s borders. Unlike refugees, IDPs have or she was not born, and has acquired some significant social ties to this country. not crossed an international border to find sanctuary but have remained inside their home countries. Even if they have fled for similar reasons as refugees (armed conflict, Non-governmental organisation (NGO): (noun) A not-for-profit organisation that is generalised violence, human rights violations), IDPs legally remain under the protection independent from states and international governmental organisations. of their own government—even though that government might be the cause of their flight. As citizens, they retain all of their rights and protection under both human rights and international humanitarian law. Refugee: (noun) According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951 Geneva Convention), a refugee is a person who is outside their country of citizen- ship because of a well-founded grounds for fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, and that person is unable to obtain sanctuary from his or her home country or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail herself of the protection of that country. A variety of international refugee laws—mainly the 1951 Geneva Convention and the OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa—and the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) provide the main frame- work for protection and assistance for refugees. Refugees are also protected by general human rights law, and if they find themselves in a state involved in armed conflict, by international humanitarian law. Forced repatriation: (verb) is the process of returning a person to their place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or military personnel to their place of origin following a war. Returnee: (noun) A person who returns after a prolonged absence, particularly a refu- gee coming back to his or her homeland. I II Foreword The first time I visited Mogadishu than 300.000 displaced people gath- was in 1983. CISP was a newborn ered, 70 per cent of them women and non-governmental organization and children, victims of marginalization, Somalia was one of the first coun- gender-based violence and abuse. tries where we started carrying out development activities. After having Today Mogadishu is experiencing a identified existing health needs, we period of relative peace, though it re- began providing primary health care mains one of the most insecure cities and health education to vulnerable in the world, with complex political groups in the Middle Juba region. and social phenomena. During the last thirty years of conflict, Particularly challenging is the evo- What impresses me is the strength CISP, as stressed in the Declaration of political instability, insecurity, massive lution of female identity, caught of those women living in Mogadi- Intent, gives priority to the needs of displacement, violence and natural between cultural tradition and shu, who fight for a better future for the female population, considering disasters we never stopped support- unequal gender power relations. It themselves and envision a new era of the inclusion of women as a precondi- ing the Somali people; and we main- is here, precisely in this controversial peace for their country. tion to reach peace and human devel- tained a long-lasting friendship with city, that – thanks to the interviews opment. I feel grateful to all women local communities and diaspora too.
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