Africa’s ‘Iron Lady’ Is Nearly 80, But She’s Still Fighting FGM
Somalilandsun- On September 8, 1937, Edna Adan was born in Hargeisa, Somaliland. This year Edna celebrates her 80th birthday. There is much to celebrate. Her long career in public service, which has seen her making lasting contributions in the fields of health, peace building and foreign affairs, has been marked by an exceptional devotion to advancing the cause of women.
From her time as a trainee in London in the 1950s to her present running of the pioneering Edna Adan University Hospital, Edna has never ceased to be a tireless champion of women’s rights and health. As the first person to publicly speak out against FGM, Edna has been a fearless campaigner for more than 40 years, leading the campaign in the Horn of Africa and internationally, and training legions of health care professionals to follow in her footsteps.
At age 80, Edna continues to improve women’s health in a region with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. In fact, she still lives at the hospital she founded upon retirement from WHO twenty years ago.
For her birthday, Edna has asked supporters to give much-needed gift to the hospital.
Please donate and for more detsils of her charitable work visit http://ednahospitalfoundation.org/
WATCH THE RECENT PBS NEWSHOUR SEGMENT ON
HOW EDNA BROUGHT LIFE-SAVING CARE TO SOMALILAND
A fearless, unapologetic activist with the power to ignite a change in someone, Edna is one such woman and international recognition has seen her Dubbed the Muslim world’s Mother Teresa as well as Africa’s Iron Lady,
Edna works tirelessly to bring hope and healing to our native Somaliland, a nation fractured by war, poverty and sickness.
The fearlessness of this grand Lady has seen her become the first Somali-trained midwife in the UK, the first Somali woman to drive a car, and the first ‘First Lady’ of Somaliland, as well as first woman foreign minister.
Four decades after she was the first Somali woman to speak out publicly against FGM, Adan is still fighting for change. Continue reading Africa’s ‘Iron Lady’ Is Nearly 80, But She’s Still Fighting FGM
