Empowering Marginalized Women & Girls To Lead Change

Author: Dhahiro Osman

Date: January 30, 2026

For Somali women and Girls from historically marginalized communities—including Bantu, Bravanese, Rerhamar, Bajuni, Eyle, Galgala, Tumal, Yibir, and Gaboye—belonging has never been simply about identity. It has been a matter of survival, opportunity, and recognition.

These women and girls face compounded and systemic exclusion. Gender, age, clan affiliation, displacement, and socio-economic status intersect to create structural barriers that restrict access to education, livelihoods, leadership, healthcare, and protection.

These barriers are not incidental—they are rooted in long-standing social, political, and economic systems that determine who is valued, who is protected, and who is left behind.

While Western research has brought attention to marginalization in Somalia, it often fails to capture the historical, cultural, and political forces that sustain exclusion. Clan dynamics, population shifts, and power structures are complex and fluid. When these realities are flattened into statistics alone, the depth and structural nature of marginalization—especially for women and girls—can be obscured.

This is where the Marginalized Women Foundation (MWF) plays a critical role. Led by young women with lived experience, MWF centers the voices of marginalized women and young women—not as beneficiaries, but as leaders and agents of change. Their realities, knowledge, and priorities guide our work and shape sustainable, community-led solutions.

Why Marginalized Women and Girls Need Targeted Support

Women and girls from marginalized Somali communities demonstrate extraordinary resilience. Despite systemic barriers, they pursue education, create livelihoods, and advocate for their families and communities.

Yet these barriers remain deeply structural:

Health outcomes—especially maternal and child health—are tightly linked to education, income, and access to services. For marginalized women and girls, limited healthcare access reinforces intergenerational cycles of inequality.

“For women and girls from marginalized communities, exclusion is not just about poverty—it is systemic, rooted in social, political, and economic structures.”

Understanding Intersectional Empowerment

Marginalized women and girls navigate intersectional identities, where multiple forms of exclusion overlap—gender, age, clan, displacement, and class.

Empowerment, therefore, cannot be single-issue. It requires an intersectional approach that addresses multiple structural barriers at once.

This is why MWF’s work integrates leadership development, economic empowerment, education, and health equity. Together, these programs enable women and girls to:

• Build independence and confidence

• Strengthen families and communities

• Influence decision-making and governance

• Shape their own futures and contribute to national transformation

This approach aligns with Intersectionality Theory, which recognizes that inequality is cumulative and that meaningful empowerment must confront interconnected systems of exclusion—not just symptoms.

A Personal Perspective

As Nasro Weliyo, Board Member of MWF, shares:

This story reflects the intergenerational consequences of structural exclusion and underscores why empowering women and girls is not optional—it is essential.

How We Empower Women and Girls

MWF addresses systemic exclusion through four integrated program areas, prioritizing women and girls facing compounded marginalization:

Our Unique Approach: Lived Experience at the Center

MWF’s cross-border team—comprising Somali women, diaspora professionals, youth leaders, and community-based members—ensures programs are locally grounded, culturally responsive, and informed by lived experience.

By centering marginalized women and girls, we address the root causes of exclusion, not just its outcomes. Collaboration with communities, civil society, and diaspora networks ensures solutions are sustainable and community driven.

Our Vision, Mission, and Values

Shaping a Future Where Women and Young Women Thrive

By combining global knowledge with local expertise, MWF amplifies overlooked realities and empowers marginalized women and young women to lead change in their lives and communities.

Join us in building a future where women and girls are not just represented—they are the architects of their own change.

Take Action: Learn more about our programs, support our work, or share your story. Together, we can ensure marginalized women and girls thrive with dignity and opportunity.

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