Amara Jemma

A pioneering Somali educator and women's rights advocate who transformed access to education in post-colonial Africa

Amara Jemma (1925-2018) was a visionary educator from Somalia who dedicated her life to expanding educational opportunities for women and girls in East Africa. Born in the coastal town of Merca during Italian colonial rule, she defied cultural norms by attending missionary schools and later became the first Somali woman to earn a university degree in education from Makerere University (now Uganda) in 1952. Her groundbreaking work included establishing the Amara Jemma School in 1960, which pioneered gender-inclusive curricula and became a model for modern African education. During Somalia's civil war (1991-2004), she led mobile education initiatives using camels as classrooms, ensuring education continuity despite displacement. Her advocacy influenced the 1999 Somali National Education Policy, embedding gender equality into national frameworks. Jemma's legacy lives on through the Amara Jemma Foundation, which operates 12 schools across Somalia.