Ask Edna

Posted on Mar 8, 2012 in Edna Adan, Somaliland | 0 comments United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) has published to her web site, Off The Sidelines, a page of Questions and Answers, questions from her Book Club members addressed to Edna Adan. The goal of Sen. Gillibrand’s group is to make more women aware of the need to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives every day and to let women know that their voice matters, to give them...
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Edna in Washington

Posted on Mar 8, 2012 in Edna Adan | 4 comments Edna was invited to Capitol Hill to participate in the 4th Annual International Women’s Day Breakfast, sponsored by Women Thrive Worldwide, on March 1. Edna spoke about the issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Following some members of Congress, and others, Edna’s presentation about FGM begins soon past the 38-minute mark. See below for a complete video of this event. “When...
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Meet Edna in Los Angeles

Posted on Nov 12, 2011 in Edna Adan | 3 comments We’ve bumped this message back to the top of the page. It’s coming up soon, the weekend before Thanksgiving. Edna Adan plans to visit the Women Hold Up Half The Sky exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, beginning at noon. If you can be in the vicinity, then you are invited to join her as she views the exhibit for the first time. Edna’s work in...
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Into Africa: A Somaliland Experience

Posted on Nov 8, 2011 in Hospital News, Somaliland | 0 comments Elayne Clift is a writer from Vermont who recently volunteered two weeks of service at the Edna Hospital. A writer! You know what that means? It means there’s now a perceptive and beautifully-written journal entry which can help you better to understand the life of the Hospital and the culture of Somaliland. She is not real happy about the treatment of women in Somaliland…. I am...
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Female Genital Mutilation

Posted on Oct 4, 2011 in Edna Adan, Hospital News | 2 comments Famous blogger, Andrew Sullivan, nowadays blogging at The Daily Beast, has helped to put a spotlight onto the issue of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Yesterday, he wrote about an Egyptian woman who participated in the uprising in Cairo early this year and who had, herself, suffered FGM: In 2006, when she was 24, Ziada had a long debate with an uncle about her seven-year-old cousin Shaimaa,...
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FGM: Torturing Girls

Posted on May 12, 2011 in Somaliland | 0 comments In the third article in a series from Somaliland, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes about the persistence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) despite concentrated efforts to eliminate the practice. “This is one of the most pervasive human rights abuses worldwide, with three million girls mutilated each year in Africa alone, according to United Nations estimates. A hospital...
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Video: Hospital’s Ever-Expanding Mission

Posted on Apr 29, 2011 in Hospital News | 0 comments “Originally intended to be a small, normal maternity facility…” In this video, Edna Adan relates how the mission of the hospital expanded from the original goal of serving expectant mothers. More than 10,000 babies have now been born at the Edna Hospital. In addition, the hospital treats everything from snake bite to war wounds. Turned out, there were not enough trained nurses,...
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African Communities Abandon FGM

Posted on Feb 6, 2011 in Blog | 0 comments All across Africa, thousands of communities are abandoning the practice of Female Genital Mutilation, establishing a new social norm. Julia Lalla-Maharajh reports for The Daily Beast from The Gambia: For me, the most incredible sight was the former cutters dressed in long red shifts, swaying briskly into the center of the square to the rapid beat of a drum, carrying leafy branches. They...
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FGM Outlawed in Switzerland

Posted on Dec 20, 2010 in Blog, Edna Adan | 0 comments What follows is a message to Edna from Switzerland bringing news that her recent 3 week tour there has helped to bring about a new law against Female Genital Mutilation in that country. Adults may not give legal consent for their young daughters to undergo the procedure and may be held criminally liable in the event the procedure does take place. Dear Edna Adan, Once again I want to thank you...
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Der Bund news article (in German)

Posted on Dec 3, 2010 in Edna Adan | 0 comments Here is a newspaper article published in the Swiss newspaper, Der Bund. Edna is gathering much support among the Swiss. Samstagsinterview Edna Adan, ehemalige Aussenministerin von Somaliland, Gründerin eines Frauenspitals in Hargeisa «Wir fordern die Frauen auf: Lasst eure Töchter nicht verstümmeln!» Edna Adan kämpft gegen die Beschneidung der Frauen. «Mein Vater war dagegen», sagt sie,...
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Edna Interviewed (in French)

Posted on Dec 3, 2010 in Edna Adan | 2 comments While Edna Adan continues her visit to Switzerland, as the guest of Voix des Femmes (Voices of Women), she was interviewed from the snowy capital city of Bern on television, in French. We are happy to note that Edna appears warmly dressed....
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Year End Newsletter

Posted on Dec 2, 2010 in Hospital News | 0 comments 2010 has been an exciting year for my country Somaliland as Presidential elections were held in June and a new President elected. We have also been very busy at the Edna Adan Hospital. While there have been many things to celebrate in 2010, there remain many challenges which we will continue to fight in the coming year. With your support we will remain dedicated to improving health for the people...
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Edna in Snowy Switzerland

Posted on Nov 28, 2010 in Edna Adan | 1 comment We are finishing up work on the Edna Hospital’s year-end newsletter. That should be going out in a few days. Meanwhile, Edna is visiting Switzerland for three weeks, participating in a series of events relating to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She is the honored guest of Voix des Femmes (Voices of Women) and they appear to be taking very good care of her. Edna’s note follows:...
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Edna in Switzerland for FGM

Posted on Nov 2, 2010 in Edna Adan | 0 comments Edna Adan will participate in a conference later this month, Voix de Femmes (Voices of Women), in Bern, Switzerland. The topic will involve female genital mutilation as practiced in Somaliland. “TERRE DES FEMMES Suisse s’engage pour les droits des femmes et des filles en Suisse. Pour sensibiliser la population aux différentes formes de violences et de discriminations envers...
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Male Genital Mutilation?

Posted on Oct 16, 2010 in Blog | 1 comment This site’s web site administrator has been reading Andrew Sullivan’s Blog for years, and happened to notice a reference today to “male genital mutilation.” Having seen Edna Adan just last week speak convincingly to dismiss the notion that the cutting of males and females are remotely comparable, an emailed protest was pretty much inevitable. It is not really fair to...
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