Halima Abdi Arush is a 75-year-old Somali educator, human rights activist, and peacekeeper. She is the Founder and Chairperson of IIDA Women’s Development Organisation, as well as the President of Somali Women’s Agenda and led the way in mobilizing civil society engagement in peace work, which resulted in the inception of IIDA. She is committed to empowering women, children, and vulnerable communities to participate in economic, social, and political life through access to education. Halima’s experiences during the Somalia Civil War taught her the importance of forgiveness and motivated her to work for social justice.
The Unstoppable Halima Abdi Arush
Halima Abdi Arush is the Founder and Chair of IIDA Women’s Development Organization, a non-profit organization founded in Somalia in 1991 to promote women’s political, economic and social rights. Prior to that, she was employed by the government as a teacher and rose through the ranks to become an Inspector of schools until 1981, when she resigned to concentrate on the family businesses. Halima born in 1945 in Mecca, Lower Shabelle, Somalia, where she lived with her parents and four siblings. Her father was a veterinarian, while her mother engaged in business and farming.
Against the norm of society, Halima’s mother made the decision to send her to school at the age of twelve, which played a significant impact on her life. Back in those days, girls weren’t educated, were engaged in the home with household chores. At the time, Somalia was an Italian colony until 1960, and Italian was the official language. After Somalia’s independence in 1960, Italy agreed to support Somalia for the following ten years, including the translation of the curriculum into Somali.
After completing her secondary education, Halima enrolled at the Magistrale, a teacher training school, and later secured employment as a primary school teacher by the government. While in employment with the Ministry of Education as a primary school teacher, a former Italian PE teacher, called Annalena Tonelli offered to work under her as a teacher. Halima was also part of the team that was involved in translating the oral Somali language into the written language. Over 25,000 students and 10,000 teachers were sent to all the nomadic areas of Somalia to assist in this process. She later enrolled at the Insituto Universitario Di Mogadisao, for a Bachelor’s degree, then called The University of Padova, Italy. On completion of her undergraduate, she worked in Mogadishu as a principal and got married.
In 1991, when civil war erupted in Somalia, it was a life-defining moment for Halima. Her husband was amongst the many citizens who were brutally murdered across the country. As is the African custom, relatives and friends flocked to her home to console the family. It was during this mourning period of quietness and reflection that Halima realized that there were countless others who were in similar, or even worse off predicaments than she was and would benefit from her help, however small. Halima realized “that when you lose everything, what you remain with is the knowledge and the experience you’ve learnt along the way.” So she, with other womenfolk, started engaging in conversations regarding the dire needs and desperation that surrounded them and how they could mitigate them. Together, they agreed to start with the most vulnerable, women and children including those in hospitals including psychiatric wards. These much-needed interventions formed the backdrop of IIDA’s formation.
After the outbreak of the civil war, some humanitarian organizations such as ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and WFP (World Food Programme) approached IIDA and enquired on ways in which they could collaborate in their relief efforts. IIDA coordinated and provided the logistical support required for food preparation and distribution to the needy. Halima’s involvement in IIDA was primarily to offer leadership and act as a mediator between the differing clans in an attempt to resolve the conflicts amicably. IIDA provided a safe space for them to vent, as well as build solidarity. Besides these interventions, they also engaged the women in literacy and taught other life skills such as catering, nursing, etc., so that they could eventually become self-reliant. IIDA facilitated them with the start-up tools of trade as well as food rations.
As the conflict in Somalia continued, IIDA expanded its operations to include other areas of the country such as Baidoa, Beletweyne, and Kismayo. The organization’s efforts were recognized by the international community, with Halima receiving numerous awards for her work, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Award, the African Business Women Award, and the Women of Africa Award.
Despite the challenges, Halima continued to persevere in her work, driven by her passion to help the less fortunate in her community. Over the years, IIDA has grown to become a reputable organization that has helped thousands of women and children in Somalia and beyond. Today, the organization’s operations extend beyond Somalia to other parts of East Africa, including Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.
Looking to the future, Halima is optimistic about the prospects of IIDA and its role in promoting the rights of women and children in East Africa. She hopes to continue expanding the organization’s reach, empowering more women through education, training, and entrepreneurship, and promoting peace and unity in the region.
Halima’s story is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and selflessness in the face of adversity. Her work has touched the lives of countless individuals in Somalia and beyond, inspiring hope and positive change in a region that has long been plagued by conflict and instability. Through IIDA, Halima has shown that even in the darkest of times, there is always a glimmer of hope, and that by working together, we can overcome the challenges that lie ahead.
IIDA Africa Women’s Development Organization (IIDA) is a women-led non-profit organization founded in 1991 in Mogadishu, Somalia by a group of pioneering Somali women leaders to provide relief and emergency services to women and children affected by the civil war in Somalia.
To advocate for the socio-economic rights of children, youth, and women, promote peace and reconciliation among warring communities, and foster their integration into society. We work towards non-violent conflict resolution, policy formulation and implementation, women empowerment, transparency and accountability. We advocate for high standards of service delivery, education, economic self-sustenance, and improvement of health. We conduct research, defend human rights, establish partnerships and mobilize communities towards gender equality.
IIDA is the National Coalition leader for Somalia in the Better Migration Management (BMM) Regional Civil Society Organisation (CSO) Network, which is informal, largely self-organising network of CSOs that work on issues relating to anti-trafficking and the protection of vulnerable migrants in East Africa. It currently encompasses close to 100 individuals from organisations in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. It has been initiated by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under the Better Migration Management Programme (BMM), which is funded by the Federal Government of Germany and the European Union.
IIDA is a member of the Eastern African Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI) which is a feminist sub-regional Civil Society Organisation made up of committed individuals, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), coalitions and networks driven to transform gender relations globally and especially in the Eastern Africa sub-region. EASSI are engaged with strengthening the capacity of women, youth and civil society organisations in governance, leadership, economic empowerment, policy advocacy and conflict resolution.
They work in nine countries within the East and Horn of Africa namely: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan.
IIDA is the country team for Somalia on the Civil Society Platform for Peace building and State building (CSPPS) network, a South-North non-governmental coalition of peace building organizations, which aims at strengthening the voice and capacity of society to effectively engage in, and influence, peace building and state building as a critical contribution to crisis prevention, sustainable peace and development for all.
The Network provides learning new ways of reaching out to global audience and international policy makers e.g. through the engagement in the Civil Society Platform for Peace-building and State-building (CSPPS) that strengthens national chapters (e.g. Somali chapter) in line with Sustainable development goal (SDG) 16.
IIDA is one the founding members of and the lead organization for the Somali Women Agenda (SWA), a national women’s movement formed by Somali women within Somalia and in the Diaspora in October 2007SWA aims to draw urgent attention to the need to alleviate the status of Somali women and enable them strengthen each other in addressing issues affecting women and girls through capacity building, advocacy and networking. SWA seeks to promote women’s participation in the decision-making processes in Somalia, in an effort to affect governance policy changes and promote accountability. SWA platform currently represents a constituency of approximately 200,000 Somali women from all over Somalia and the Diaspora. SWA have representatives from 22 organizations.