# Leyla Hussein (Leyla Xuseen)

> Leyla Hussein (born 1980): Somali-British psychotherapist, FGM campaigner, Daughters of Eve co-founder, OBE and St Andrews Rector.

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

## Who is she?

Leyla Hussein is a Somali-born British psychotherapist and social activist ([Wikipedia, Leyla Hussein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_Hussein)). She founded the Dahlia Project, co-founded Daughters of Eve, and is chief executive of Hawa's Haven (same source). See [female genital cutting](/en/society/female-genital-cutting/).

## Early life

She was born in Somalia in 1980 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_Hussein)). She later moved to the United Kingdom (same source). She earned a postgraduate diploma in therapeutic counselling from Thames Valley University (same source). She has said she is an FGM survivor (same source). See [Somalis in the United Kingdom](/en/diaspora/united-kingdom/).

## Health work

After working in youth outreach, she worked for ten years in reproductive health ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_Hussein)). At the African Well Women Clinic in Waltham Forest she worked with FGM survivors (same source). At the NAZ Project [London](/en/diaspora/london/) she was a sexual health adviser for Somalis affected by HIV (same source). She works with the Metropolitan Police on Project Azure (same source).

## Campaigning

In 2010 she founded Daughters of Eve with [Nimco Ali](/en/people/nimco-ali/) and Sainab Abdi, to educate young women and raise awareness of FGM ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_Hussein)). She leads Hawa's Haven, a coalition of Somali women campaigners on gender-based violence (same source). She is global ambassador for The Girl Generation, which works to end FGM in ten African countries (same source). She sits on the advisory group of the Desert Flower Foundation, the charity of [Waris Dirie](/en/people/waris-dirie/) (same source).

In 2013 she presented *The Cruel Cut* on Channel 4, a documentary on her work against FGM in the UK ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_Hussein)). The film and she were nominated for a BAFTA in 2014 (same source).

## Honours

She was on the BBC 100 Women list in 2013 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_Hussein)). With Nimco Ali she placed sixth in the Woman's Hour Power List 2014 (same source). She was appointed OBE in the 2019 Birthday Honours, for services to tackling FGM and gender inequality (same source).

## Rector of St Andrews

In 2020 she was elected Rector of the University of St Andrews for three years, the third woman and first woman of colour in the post ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyla_Hussein)). In October 2023 the student paper *The Saint* reported that she had visited St Andrews once as Rector and missed 10 of 12 meetings of the University Court (same source).

## In short

A Somali-British psychotherapist who co-founded Daughters of Eve in 2010, was appointed OBE in 2019 and was Rector of St Andrews from 2020.

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