Hawa Abdi

Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe (, , 17 May 19475 August 2020) was a Somali human rights activist and physician. She was the founder and chairperson of the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation (DHAF), a non-profit organization.

Early years Abdi was born in Mogadishu, and lived in south-central Somalia. Her mother died when she was 12 years old. Abdi thereafter took on family chores, including raising her four younger sisters. Her father was a professional who was employed in the port of the capital city.

For her early schooling, Abdi attended local elementary, intermediate and secondary academies.

In 1973, Abdi married Aden and gave birth to her first child two years later. They had three children: Deqo, Amina, and Ahmed. Ahmed died in a 2005 car crash in Hargeisa, while on a visit to his father who had since separated from Abdi. Both Deqo and Amina became physicians.

Two years prior, at the height of the Islamist insurgency in southern Somalia, militants had laid siege to the compound and attempted to force Abdi to shut it down. She stood her ground and the rebels left within a week, following pressure from local residents, the UN and other advocacy groups. The militants again stormed the area in February 2012, leading Abdi to temporarily suspend services until their eventual departure. Since its establishment in the early 1980s, the complex has served an estimated 2 million people.

Awards Abdi was named Hiiraan Onlines Person of the Year in 2007. Glamour magazine later named her and her two daughters among its 2010 "Women of the Year". Two years later, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She also received the Women of Impact Award from the WITW Foundation, and the John Jay Medal for Justice.

In 2014, Abdi received the Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award in Middelburg, the Netherlands. She was conferred the Pilosio Building Peace Award one year later.

Abdi was granted an honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Pennsylvania in May 2016.

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