Stories

Hamze Somalia poet cover photo. Oxfam

Young poets lead social change

Surrounded by beautiful mountains and eye-catching scenery, Borama, a town on the Ethiopian border, is a center of learning and the home of Amoud University, the first opened in Somaliland. Presidents, politicians, business-people, and poets have graduated...

Milkeso heather. Oxfam

Making pottery pay

Traditionally, Ethiopian pottery is made by women – a home-based craft producing utility items that are sold and used locally. The craft isn’t much valued and potter communities are deemed of low rank and often live in extreme...

Susan campaigning for a leadership position in the Rhino Refugee Settlement, Uganda. Jose Mario/Oxfam

One refugee in Uganda is using her voice to raise those of 70 million others globally

Refugees are often victims of the conflicts they flee from. But the pain and sorrow we have endured also drive our commitment to peace - the most durable solution.

Fatima seated outside her home in Darfur, Sudan. Amal Abdelgadir/Oxfam

How new skills and a better plan helped a Sudanese girl dream again

Two years ago, deadly fighting broke out in Fatima's village in Darfur making her childhood dream of becoming a doctor seem impossible to reach. But an Oxfam training her helped get it back....

Fadumo in her shop in Hargeisa. AbdiAziz Adani/Oxfam

Striving for access to justice in Somaliland

By AbdiAziz Adani

"It was the first time I submitted a case to the court. I didn't know where to start and what to do. It was very frustrating," said Fadumo a mother of four living in Hargeisa, who recently had to seek legal redress in one of Somaliland’s courts. "I wasn't...

Aafi working on his computer. Dustin Barter/Oxfam

Getting Somaliland's youth back to work through skills training

By AbdiAziz Adani

“It’s very frustrating for me and other youth to be unemployed. Everyone expects us to grow up and provide for our family. If youth can’t get a job and can’t provide for the family, we are not respected and not...

Khadija at a community meeting in eastern Somaliland. (Oxfam)

Somali Women for Peace and Justice

By AbdiAziz Adani

"It’s exclusionary. When only men are making decisions that affect women, and no women are involved, women can feel injustice. Women are often not even informed of the decision-making,'' says Khadija, a women's rights activist in eastern Somaliland....

A woman walks through a settlement for displaced families in Somaliland. Allan Gichigi/Oxfam

Debt: a noose around Somalia’s future

Somalia’s debt forgotten, but not forgiven, is keeping the country from accessing much-needed foreign cash to stimulate development.

Some of the youth representatives in the leadership training by SONYO. Dustin Barter/Oxfam

Energised and Motivated: The Youth Transforming Somaliland

Youth in Somaliland are challenging societal norms to make sure they are fairly included and represented in parliament.