Ilwad Elman

Ilwad Elman
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Born	1989/1990 (age 34–35) Mogadishu, Somalia
Occupation	social activist
Parent(s)	Elman Ali Ahmed and Fartuun Adan

Ilwad Elman (Somali: ilwaad Elman, is a Somali-Canadian social activist. She works at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu alongside her mother Fartuun Adan, the NGO's founder.

Personal life

Ilwad was born between 1989 and 1990 in Mogadishu, Somalia. One of four daughters, she is the child of the late entrepreneur and peace activist Elman Ali Ahmed and social activist Fartuun Adan.

In 1996, during the height of the civil war, Ahmed was killed near their home in southern Mogadishu. The family subsequently emigrated to Canada in 1999. Ilwad studied there at an Ottawa institution.

In 2010, Elman later returned to Somalia to work beside her mother. Her younger sister Iman also joined her, and serves as a commander in the Somali military.

Career

In honour of Ahmed, his wife Fartuun Adan and their children established the Elman Peace Centre in Mogadishu. Adan serves as the NGO's Executive Director, while their daughter Ilwad works alongside her. Ilwad serves therein as Director of Programs and Development. She also helps run Sister Somalia, a subsidiary of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center. The country's first program for assistance of victims of gender-based violence, it provides counseling, health and housing support for women in need. Elman's work has helped raise awareness locally on the issue, and encouraged changes in government policy. She has also carried out educational workshops for vulnerable members of society, and designed and implemented projects promoting alternative livelihood opportunities for both young and old.

Additionally, Elman serves as the Chairperson for the Gender Based Violence Case Management group in Mogadishu, and the child protection working group in Afgoye, Lower Shabelle. She also chairs the Street Children Task Force in the capital, where she in turn co-chairs the Child Protection working group in conjunction with UNICEF. The Youth to End Sexual Violence NGO likewise appointed her its Youth Ambassador for Somalia on Sexual Violence in Conflict. The organization works in partnership with the United Nations to end wartime gender based violence around the world, appointing global representatives for the purpose.

In mid-2012, Mogadishu held its first ever Technology, Entertainment, Design (TEDx) conference. The event was organized by the First Somali Bank to showcase improvements in business, development and security to potential Somali and international investors. Ilwad was featured as a guest speaker, where she explained the role of Sister Somalia in the country's post-conflict reconstruction process.

Opposite 76 other activists from 36 different nations in Africa, Elman in 2011 represented Somalia during the "Climb Up, Speak OUT" campaign on Mount Kilimanjaro. The event was organized by UNite Africa under UNwomen, and concluded with the participants committing to end violence against women and girls.

In 2013, Elman was also featured in the documentary Through the Fire, along with Hawa Abdi and Edna Adan Ismail. She likewise appeared in the 2014 film Live From Mogadishu, which focuses on the Mogadishu Music/Peace Festival of March 2013. Organized by the ensemble Waayaha Cusub and the philanthropist Bill Brookman, it was the first international music festival to be held in Somalia's capital in years.

Fellowships

In 2014, Elman was appointed a YALI Fellow by the United States Department of State.

External links

• TED^X Mogadishu talk: In Memory of My Father, I Returned to Rebuild Somalia