# Fartuun Adan (Fartuun Cabdisalaan Aadan)

> Fartuun Adan, born 1969: head of Elman Peace in Mogadishu, co-founder of Sister Somalia, and 2022 Right Livelihood laureate.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/fartuun-adan/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who is she?

Fartuun Adan is a Somali peace and human rights worker. She is executive director of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Mogadishu, and co-founder of Sister Somalia, the country's first rape crisis and support programme ([Wikipedia, Fartuun Adan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartuun_Adan)).

## Early life and family

She was born in Mogadishu on 2 February 1969 ([Right Livelihood, 2022 laureates](https://rightlivelihood.org/2022-announcement/l1/)). She married [Elman Ali Ahmed](/en/people/elman-ali-ahmed/), a businessman and peace worker. He was known as the "Somali father of peace" and made popular the slogan "Drop the gun, pick up the pen" ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartuun_Adan)). He set up programmes to help young people, including former child soldiers and orphans, go back to school and earn a living (same source).

## The work begins, 1990

She and her husband began the work of Elman Peace in 1990 ([Right Livelihood](https://rightlivelihood.org/2022-announcement/l1/)). In 1996 her husband was killed near the family home in south Mogadishu. She then left Somalia with her four daughters ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartuun_Adan)). In 1999 the family settled in [Ottawa](/en/diaspora/ottawa/), Canada (same source).

## Return to Mogadishu

She felt the work was unfinished. She returned to Somalia in 2006 to rebuild Elman Peace ([Right Livelihood](https://rightlivelihood.org/2022-announcement/l1/)). Her daughter [Ilwad Elman](/en/people/ilwad-elman/) joined her in 2010 (same source).

Elman Peace works on peace building and protects women, children and others pushed to the margins ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartuun_Adan)). Right Livelihood names as one of its biggest achievements its approach to helping former fighters, including child soldiers, give up arms and return to normal life ([Right Livelihood](https://rightlivelihood.org/2022-announcement/l1/)). It also helped build Peace by Africa, a network of 61 peace building groups (same source).

## Sister Somalia

Sister Somalia gives counselling, health care and housing support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence ([Wikipedia, Ilwad Elman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilwad_Elman)). It was the first programme of its kind in the country.

## Loss and awards

In November 2019 her daughter [Almaas Elman](/en/people/almaas-elman/), an aid worker, was shot and killed near Mogadishu airport ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartuun_Adan)).

Her honours include the US International Women of Courage Award (2013), a German human rights award (2014), the Aurora Prize (2020) and the Right Livelihood Award (2022) (same source). The 2022 jury honoured her and her daughter "for promoting peace, demilitarisation and human rights in Somalia" ([Africanews, 30 September 2022](https://www.africanews.com/2022/09/30/somali-human-rights-activists-win-top-swedish-human-rights-prize)).

## In short

Co-founder of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Mogadishu, which runs support programmes for survivors of violence.

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