IIDA Women's Development Organisation

IIDA Women's Development Organisation is a non-governmental organisation based in Mogadishu, Somalia. Its work is centered on peacebuilding, active citizenship for women, and other initiatives in the local education, health and economy sectors.

IIDA Women's Development Organisation
Motto"Qoriga Dhig, Qalinka Qaad"
"Drop the gun and take the pen"
Founded25 May 1991
FounderHalima Abdi Arush
TypeNon-profit
NGO
HeadquartersMogadishu, Somalia
Serviceseducation, health, economy
Fieldspeacebuilding, active citizenship for women, training
Websitewww.iida.so

Establishment

The IIDA Women's Development Organisation NGO was founded in Mogadishu on 25 May 1991 by a group of Somali women activists led by Halima Abdi Arush.[1] Arush was a former education inspector whose husband had been killed during the civil war in Somalia. The organisation's aim was to create an interface organization enabling action in favour of peacebuilding, humanitarianism and women's rights. The word iida in the Somali language means "woman born on a feast day". It was chosen by the late Amina Abdullahi Haji Fiqow,[2][3] a Somali human rights activist.[4]

Mission

The IIDA Women's Development Organisation's main objectives are to support the societal reconstruction process and champion women's rights in Somalia.

Its main development aims are:

  • To promote peace and peaceful conflict resolution;
  • To promote respect for human rights and differences in social strata;
  • To encourage and assist the involvement of Somali women in the processes of reconciliation, reconstruction and economic development;
  • To provide training for women and to encourage micro credit activities, in order to allow them to reach their economic independence;
  • To discourage the practice of female genital mutilation and gender-based violence;[5]
  • To promote the growth and development of women's associations, including trade-unions;

Offices

IIDA is currently maintains three branches in Somalia (Mogadishu, Merca, Dhusamareb). It also has an office one in Nairobi, Kenya (since December 2007), and one in Turin, Italy.

Main projects

IIDA's main projects encompass peacebuilding, active citizenship for women, and other initiatives in the education, health and economy sectors.

Projects have included:

  • Reestablishing and operating in collaboration with the Italian NGO CISP the maternity hospital of Forlanini Hospital in Mogadishu, and providing trained to medical personnel.[6]
  • Disarmament of 150 irregular youth soldiers in the Merca area.[7]
  • Women's empowerment projects implemented via the Somali Women Agenda. The platform brings together 16 women's associations and other individual members from all regions of Somalia, and draws a real program priorities, strategies and actions for the peace process and societal reconstruction. These last two initiatives were implemented in collaboration with the Italian NGO COSPE.[8]

Tahrib newsletter

Since June 2008, IIDA Italia has published Tahrib, an online newsletter aimed at raising awareness on the sociopolitical situation in Somalia. Contributors to the newsletter include Somalian MP Maryan Shekh Osman, President of the Italian section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Giovanna Pagani, and journalist Kenneth Oduor.

Awards

IIDA has received various international awards for its peacebuilding, human rights and development work:

Memberships

IIDA is a member of the following networks:

  • Eastern African Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI)
  • Fédération des Femmes Africaines pour la Paix (FERFAP)
  • Network of Women from the Mediterranean, the East and the South of Europe (Network Women)[11]

References
  1. M. Yassin Haji Yussuf, Tutto cominciò da Aida…: le ragioni di un percorso, dans “Tahrib”, n. 0, juin 2008, ; Angelo Del Boca, La trappola somala. Dall’operazione Restore Hope al fallimento delle Nazioni Unite, Laterza, Bari, 1994, pp. 15-16; M. Zamorani, In Somalia la speranza sono le donne, Il Giornale, 3 febbraio 1993; J. Gardner, J. El-Bushra, Somalia - The untold story: the war through the eyes of Somali women, CIIR, London, 2004, pp. 215- 219.
  2. K. Maier, Fresh start for Somalia's children: the reopening of elementary schools provides hope for the future. Karl Maier reports from Mogadishu, article du journal The Independent, 7 janvier 1993 .
  3. A. Deschamps, Somalie 1993: première offensive humanitaire , L'Harmattan, Paris, 2000, pp. 107, 113-114; D. Quirico, "La Stampa", 15 février 1994, p. 9, .
  4. K. Maier, Women fall victim to Somalia's prejudice, The Independent, 5 janvier 1993,
  5. D. Lashgari, Violence, silence, and anger: women's writing as transgression, University of Virginia Press, 1995, p. 171
  6. Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli, in English International Committee for the Development of Peoples, is active in over 30 countries in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, Middle-East and Europe."Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-08-31. Retrieved 2015-03-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. M. Urban, Les enfants de la guerre déposent rarement les armes, "Radio France international", 9 décembre 2002
  8. COSPE (Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo dei Paesi Emergenti, in English Cooperation for the development of emerging countries) was founded in 1983 in Florence ; it is active in about 30 countries through about 100 development projects.
  9. E. Louie, Chronicle , "New York Times", 29 October 1996, p. 16
  10. C. Rebouffel, La France honore cinq champions des droits de l’homme, “La Croix”, 10 December 2008,
  11. "::: Rete civica del Comune di Forlì :::". www.comune.forli.fc.it. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
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