| Hawa Abdi حواء عبدي |
|
|---|---|
| Born | May 17, 1947 Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Nationality | Somalian |
| Occupation | physician, activist |
Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe (Somali: Xaawo Cabdi, Arabic: حواء عبدي) (born c. 1947, Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Somalian human rights activist and doctor, specializing in gynaecology. She founded the DHAF Foundation, one of the largest IDP camps in the country.[1]
Contents |
Hawa was born in Mogadishu in 1947. With her mother dying in childbirth when she was 12, Hawa's father supported her to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. At 17, she won a scholarship to study gynecological medicine in Kiev, Ukraine, during the 1960s. After completing her studies, Dr. Abdi returned to Somalia in 1983 to open her own clinic in the outskirts of Mogadishu between Mogadishu and Afgoye. She focused on the treatment of women from non-urban areas, soon the practice drew clients from all over the country, and even abroad.
In 2010, Glamour magazine named Dr. Abdi and her two daughters "Women of the Year", dubbing them the "Saints of Somalia", "equal parts Mother Teresa and Rambo".[2]