Coding, Crafting, Cultivating: Somali Women Securing Their Futures
In the shadow of a conflict and climate emergency crisis in Somalia and Somaliland, young women are taking charge.
Across the region, Oxfam is working with local partners to equip young women, many displaced by conflict and climate disasters, with the skills to shape their futures. Whether through art, technology, or agriculture, these programs are forging a path towards stability, dignity, and financial independence.
Here are a few of their stories.
Henna and Fabric Dye Training in Mogadishu
In the heart of Mogadishu, young women, many displaced by conflict, have come together to learn henna artistry, tie-dye fabric work, and tailoring skills. The centre also offers skills training workshops in baking and pastry arts. Supported by Oxfam Canada and its local partner Safe Somali Women and Children (SSWC), this three-month program allows them to earn a living and gain financial independence. These skills are crucial in a country where over 2.6 million people are displaced, and opportunities are scarce.
“I love experimenting with all of the different dye colours,” tells us Fardousa, 19. One of her primary motivators for following this skills training program is supporting her family. “I have nine family members to support. That’s why I’m hoping to start my own business.”
Most of the young women participating in the workshop have entrepreneurial dreams. Once they complete the training, each graduate earns $ 120 USD as a start-up fund to turn that dream into a plan.
Mama Amina, the Executive Director of SSWC, explains that beyond skill-building, the centre is also a safe space for those who have experienced gender-based violence. “Here, we women don’t belong to any clan; we need to be empowered and to protect ourselves.” The support centre provides medical referrals, legal aid, and psycho-social counselling.
404: Limits Not Found
Established in 2016, HargaBits is a creative technology training hub for internally displaced people (IDPs). Courses range from HTML to graphic design to video production, and graduates secure freelance work or jobs in local start-ups. With Oxfam’s support, this initiative challenges gender norms, proving women can lead in tech.
Hafsa, 21, recently graduated from the program, where she discovered her passion for digital marketing. “I learned how to manage social media accounts and many other marketable skills,” she says. “In Hargeisa, this type of work isn’t prevalent for women, but my family and friends were so happy to see me thrive through the training.” Today, Hafsa is a social media manager for a local printing company and hopes to start her own business soon.
With job opportunities scarce for many, especially those displaced by conflict, young women in Hargeisa are not just coding - they’re programming their futures.
Cultivating Opportunity
But change isn’t just driven by technology - it’s also rooted in the land.
Food security is a constant challenge in Somaliland, where relentless droughts have devastated communities since 2017. While Oxfam provides emergency life-saving relief in humanitarian crises, we also work with communities to build better, more sustainable lives for themselves and their families. About an hour’s drive from Garadag Somaliland, two greenhouses and a small plot of irrigated land stand out amidst the barren landscape.
Here, women are learning to grow vegetables through a greenhouse cooperative in a region known for its hot and arid conditions. For a traditional pastoralist community seeing its grazing land for livestock dry up, growing vegetables is a means of gaining livelihoods and income.
For young mother Ayan, 24, working in the greenhouse to cultivate fresh crops means supporting her growing family. “Access to fresh food is important as it allows me to nourish my son better and generate some income,” she says.
This initiative is part of Oxfam’s broader effort to link humanitarian aid with sustainable economic programs, ensuring communities can rebuild and thrive despite their challenges.
Whether through creativity, code, or cultivation, Oxfam is helping young women gain access to new paths toward economic independence. Projects and work like this, which take place in the most complex contexts where poverty is rampant, and women are undervalued, can only happen thanks to generous donor funding—donors from Canada and around the world who want to make sustainable and lasting change.
If you’re inspired by this story and want to support projects, activities, and communities like these, please donate here.
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