Save Somali Women and Children, Somalia

Project profile

It’s thanks to Asha that women in Somalia have been represented in peace negotiations, parliament and public life. She is working round the clock to protect the peace agreement.

Asha’s story

My country, Somalia, has been engulfed in civil war for the past 18 years. This war was clan-based, and my husband and I are from two different clans. My husband’s clan saw me as a traitor; my clan of birth as an outsider. This moment made me realise that war has nothing to offer women except for death, destruction and devastation. - Asha

In 2000 Asha declared “my only clan is womanhood” and founded the women-only Sixth Clan in response to the five traditional male-dominated Somali clans. Asha’s organisation, Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC) put pressure on clan elders, religious leaders, Islamic scholars and politicians to put women at the negotiating table as equal partners and decision-makers. Asha fought for women to have a voice, but with the constant threat of violence hanging over her. She’s now based in Kenya for her own safety.

Somalia has had no effective government since 1991. Years of fighting between rival warlords, disease and famine have left over a million dead and arguably Africa’s worst humanitarian crisis: a third of the population is dependent on food aid.

How SSWC works

Founded in 1991, SSWC helps women overcome violence and poverty and gives them a voice in the future of their own country.

Key Achievements

  • Secured a sixth of seats for women in the Transitional Federal Parliament
  • Helped reconcile the President and Prime Minister in 2006
  • Got rid of many roadblocks simply by getting food supplied to the young men which manned them
  • Took part in high-level peace negotiations
  • Continued education programmes for girls in Somalia

Asha Hagi has dedicated her life to gaining a better and more peaceful future for her war-torn country, Somalia. At great personal risk, she has fought for women to have a voice in the decisions that affect them. She has mobilised women in the cause of peace across clan and political divides … Women in Somalia are in a much stronger position today because of her courage, persistence and compassion. - The citation for Asha’s Right Livelihood Award 2008