Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman has launched a series of educational and humanitarian projects in Somalia, beginning with support for the Mogadishu Girls’ Orphanage, one of the country’s most prominent institutions for female students.
During her visit to the Somali capital, Karman announced that her foundation will provide the orphanage with a computer lab equipped with 50 modern computers and offer 60 English-language scholarships. She also supervised the distribution of more than 300 food baskets to families of orphaned students.
The orphanage, located in Mogadishu’s Buntiri neighborhood, currently hosts more than 1,200 girls and serves as a key educational and welfare center in the country.
Karman, who was invited to Somalia by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and First Lady Qamar Ali Omar, praised Somali women as a vital force in society, describing them as resilient in the face of war, disaster, and crisis. She said women are central to peacebuilding and conflict resolution, while also playing a growing role in politics and national recovery.
Her visit forms part of a broader program of meetings and events focused on supporting women, youth, and development. On Thursday, she was honored at a public ceremony in Mogadishu, where banners in Somali, Arabic, and English carried her image alongside the Yemeni and Somali flags.
In her remarks at the event, Karman commended Somali women for their strength and political participation in parliament and government, pledging to support their role in advancing peace and stability.
Somali Parliament Speaker Adam Mohamed Nour welcomed her visit as a sign of Somalia’s recovery and growing stability. He praised her long-standing defense of human rights in international forums and expressed pride in her support for oppressed peoples worldwide.
Nour also highlighted the close ties between Somalia and Yemen, stressing that Somalis feel the suffering of Yemenis displaced by conflict and continue to host them as part of the country’s social fabric. He recalled Yemen’s solidarity with Somalia during its civil war and noted that Yemeni traders remain an important part of the Somali economy.
He added that Karman’s presence in Mogadishu sends a clear message that Somalia is overcoming terrorism and that its capital is open and safe for visitors. Nour called on the Tawakkol Karman International Foundation to expand its activities in Somalia to support reconstruction, education, and development, particularly for women and children.
Karman’s visit marks the foundation’s first projects in Somalia and reflects a wider effort to strengthen ties between the two countries through humanitarian and social initiatives.
