Kismayo, Jubaland – February 19, 2025
Somali Family Services (SFS), in collaboration with the Jubaland Ministry of Women, Family Affairs, and Human Rights, VNG, and the back donor Somali Stability Fund, officially launched the Promoting Women’s Inclusion in Democratic Local Governance project in Kismayo, Jubaland. The launch included the Women’s Leadership, Governance, and Resource Mobilization Training, which is a key activity aimed at enhancing women’s participation in governance.
In her opening remarks, Miski Yusuf, the Director General of the Ministry of Women, Family Affairs, and Human Rights, underscored the importance of women’s inclusion in leadership and governance. She emphasized that local governance structures are the foundation for achieving political inclusion for women and that addressing current challenges would lead to meaningful representation. She stated, “Including women in governance is fundamental to building a viable state, ensuring democratic governance, and fostering a responsive government.”
The Director General expressed her gratitude to the participants, which included representatives from women-led organizations, civil society organizations, young women, women’s group leaders, minorities, women with special needs, and officials from the Kismayo District administration. She also acknowledged the efforts of the SFS team in organizing the training in close collaboration with the ministry. In addition, the Director General commended SFS for selecting a highly qualified trainer, stating, “I am familiar with her excellent work—she possesses the education, skills, experience, and capacity to deliver valuable outcomes from this training.” Fadumo Aden Omar, Chairlady of the Lower Juba Women’s Association, also praised the initiative, stating, “As women leaders in this district, we appreciate the ministry and its supporting agencies for recognizing the importance of women’s inclusion in governance and democratic processes. Inclusive governance is essential for a just and representative society.”
The SFS Key Expert provided an overview of the training, highlighting that it offers intensive sessions on leadership, public speaking, negotiation, governance processes, and resource mobilization skills for selected women’s groups. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including gender-sensitive budgeting, public administration, and conflict resolution. In addition, participants will gain valuable knowledge in resource mobilization strategies, such as fundraising, proposal writing, and partnership development. The Key Expert also noted, “A total of 52 individuals, including representatives from women’s organizations, local administration, activists, minority groups, and persons with special needs, are participating in this training as director general stated in her opening remarks”.
Somali Family Services (SFS) vision is “A peaceful, democratic and prosperous Somalia. SFS mission is to transform the lives of conflict affected communities by empowering citizens to embrace peaceful co-existence, build resilience, free women from gender-based violence, create opportunities for youth and increases access to quality education, by participating in democratic process, human rights advocacy, resource mobilization mitigation of climate change.” To learn more please visit www.ussfs.org.
