Zahra Mohamed Ahmad

Zahra Mohamed Ahmad (born 1952) is a Somalian human rights activist and lawyer. She is the founder of the Somali Women Development Center. She was awarded the International Women of Courage Award in 2021.

Personal life Ahmad was born in 1952 and had seven siblings. Her father was a police officer.

Career and education She went to work encouraging schools to reopen and war lords to give up violence. The organisation she formed was called HINNA.

In 2005 she returned to university to gain a degree in International and Sharia Law at Somalia University. They support women who are on remand or on trial and the survivors of sexual violence. The SWDC also report on abuse and violence in Somalia. The SWDC provides legal assistance and she is the main legal advisor.

Her organisation established the Ceebla Crisis Line 5555. The line offers support in both Somali and English to those women who are involved with violence and abuse.

Recognition Ahmad was nominated by the US Ambassador to Somalia, Donald Yamamoto, and she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award in 2021. The award was presented virtually by the First Lady Jill Biden and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on International Women's Day. There were fourteen living women given awards that year. The awardees were from fifteen countries as the 2021 awards included an extra seven women who had died in Afghanistan.