Edna Adan Ismail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edna Adan Ismail
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| 8th Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office June 25, 2003 – June 26, 2006 |
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| President | Dahir Riyale Kahin |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Saed Gees |
| Succeeded by | Abdilahi Mohamed Dualeh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 September 1937 (age 87) Hargeisa, British Somaliland (now Somaliland) |
| Education | Borough Polytechnic (now London South Bank University) |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Known for | Activist for the abolition of female ... ... (FGM) |
| Awards | Templeton Prize (2023) |
| Signature |  |
Edna Adan Ismail (born 8 September 1937) is a famous nurse midwife and activist. She made history as the first female Foreign Minister of Somaliland, serving from 2003 to 2006. Before that, she was Somalia’s Minister of Family Welfare and Social Development.
Edna Adan is also the President of the Organization for Victims of Torture. She was once married to Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, who was a Prime Minister and later President of Somaliland.
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About Edna Adan Ismail
Her Early Life and Education
Edna Adan Ismail was born in Hargeisa, Somalia, on September 8, 1937. Her father was a well-known medical doctor. At that time, girls in Somaliland usually didn't go to school. However, her father hired a tutor for some local boys, and Edna learned to read and write with them. She later attended a school in Djibouti.
She traveled to the United Kingdom to train as a nurse and midwife at the Borough Polytechnic, which is now London South Bank University. People say she was the first Somali girl to study in Britain. She was also Somalia’s first qualified nurse-midwife and the first Somali woman to drive a car!
Building a Hospital for Her Community
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In 1980, Edna Adan started building a hospital in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. But she had to leave the country when the Somaliland War of Independence began in 1981.
After the war, she returned to Somaliland. She built a new maternity hospital from scratch, on land that used to be a rubbish dump. The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital officially opened on March 9, 2002.
Many nurses had left or died during the war. So, Edna started training more than 30 new nurses in 2000, even while the hospital was still being built. Today, the hospital has two operating rooms, a lab, a library, and a computer center. It also has a special wing just for training nurses and midwives. As of 2018, the hospital had 200 staff and 1500 students.
The hospital's main goal is to improve the health of local people. It especially focuses on reducing the high number of mothers and babies who die during childbirth. It is a non-profit charity and a teaching hospital for midwives. It also trains student nurses and lab technicians.
Her Work as an Activist
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Edna Adan is a strong voice for women's health and rights. She works to raise awareness and support to train more midwives. She also fights against harmful traditional practices that affect women in Somaliland. Charities in the United Kingdom and the United States help support her important work.
Serving in Government
Edna Adan was the only female minister in the Somaliland government until July 2006. She served as the Foreign Minister. She continues to speak up for the people of Somaliland. In March 2022, she was chosen as the President of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization.
Awards and Special Recognition
Edna Adan Ismail has received many awards for her amazing work:
- In 2002, she won the AMANITARE Annual Award for opening her maternity hospital.
- In 2007, her name was added to the Medical Mission Hall of Fame at the University of Toledo in Ohio.
- She has received honorary doctorates from Clark University and London South Bank University.
- She was made an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University in Wales in 2008.
- In 2018, she received an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
- In 2012, she was featured in a documentary called Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. This series showed women bravely fighting difficult situations.
- In 2017, she was a guest on the famous BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs.
- Some people have called her "The Muslim Mother Teresa" because of her dedication.
- In 2019, she wrote a book about her life called "A Woman of Firsts."
- In 2023, she was awarded the Templeton Prize, a very important award.
See also
- Edna Adan Maternity Hospital
- Edna Adan University
