Mama Amina Salum Ali

A Somali educator who founded schools during civil war to empower girls' education

Mama Amina Salum Ali (born 1948) is a visionary Somali educator whose life's work has profoundly impacted girls' access to education in her war-torn country. Despite Somalia's collapse into civil war in 1991, she established the Hodan School in 1994 using her own savings, becoming one of the first to reopen educational facilities during the crisis. Her mobile classroom initiative traveled to displaced communities, teaching over 2,000 girls basic literacy skills through solar-powered lanterns at night.

She pioneered girls' mentorship programs linking students with female professionals, creating pathways for 300+ girls to pursue university education. Her education equity framework inspired similar programs across East Africa, featured in UNESCO's 2001 Regional Education Strategies report. Despite death threats from extremist groups, she expanded operations to include teacher training centers and launched the Girls' Empowerment Network with funding from the African Union.