# Ujuni Ahmed (Ujuuni Axmed)

> Ujuni Ahmed: Somali-Finnish activist and author, Finnish PEN free speech award 2020.

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

## Who is she?

Ujuni Ahmed is a Somali-Finnish activist and writer whose work centres on immigrants in Finland ([Wikipedia, Ujuni Ahmed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujuni_Ahmed)). She was born in Somalia, underwent FGM at two, and moved to Finland with her family in the early 1990s at three (same source). She went to school in Helsinki and trained in practical nursing and youth counselling (same source). See [Somalis in Finland](/en/diaspora/finland/).

## Work

In 2017 she became director of Fenix Helsinki, which serves immigrant women and children ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujuni_Ahmed)). In 2020 she worked for the broadcaster Yle as a news anchor and producer of COVID-19 content, and proposed presenting pandemic news in Somali (same source). She speaks out against FGM and honour violence, work for which the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture gave her an award (same source).

## Book and awards

Her 2022 book *Tytöille, jotka ajattelevat olevansa yksin* ("For girls who think they are alone"), written with Elina Hirvonen, covers her school years and her work with young immigrants; she also translated it into Somali, and a play based on it was staged at the Finnish National Theatre ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujuni_Ahmed)). She received the Finnish PEN freedom of speech award in 2020 and was writer in residence at the Finnish National Theatre in 2021 (same source).

## In short

A Helsinki activist and author who works with immigrant girls and campaigns against FGM.

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