Spotlighting the Recipients of the 2020/2021 KBF Africa Prize: Elman Peace in Ottawa on October 26, 2022
The 2020-2021 KBF Africa Prize was awarded to the Somali organization Elman Peace in recognition of its successful efforts to combat violence and promote social justice. Its record of empowering and cultivating leadership skills among women and young people is outstanding.
Established to reward outstanding contributions to development in Africa that are both initiated and led by Africans, the KBF Africa Prize draws public attention to the many inspirational stories, challenges, and successes on the continent. It is awarded every other year and provides a grant of 200,000 euros as well as opportunities to develop global contacts and partnerships. The 2020-2021 Award was presented in Brussels on June 16, 2022, in the presence of HM King Philippe.
To this end, the two extraordinary Somali-Canadian women at the head of Elman Peace will be in Ottawa on October 26, 2022, where they will share their insights and experience on building
peace in conflict-scarred Somalia.
To register for the event, click here.
Myriad Canada and the Global Centre for Pluralism invite you to a thought-provoking in-person conversation with these two extraordinary Somali women who have lived in Canada at the head of Elman Peace.
Join the Global Centre for Pluralism’s Secretary-General and experienced peace mediator, Meredith Preston McGhie, as she speaks with Elman Peace’s Executive Director Fartuun Adan and Chief Operating Officer and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Ilwad Elman about how to achieve genuine change long after parties to conflict have laid down their arms.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2022 | 9:00am
Global Centre for Pluralism, 330 Sussex Drive, Ottawa
This is a live/in-person event. | A light breakfast will be served.
Please register here by October 25, 2022. | Seating is limited.
The event will be in English; participation and questions in French are welcome.
To ensure the health and safety of our guests and staff, we ask you to remain masked except while eating.
“Elman Peace has helped thousands of young Somalis rebuild their lives after being drawn into civil conflict and has developed unique programmes to give women and youth a greater voice in society,” KBF Africa Prize Selection Committee Chair Koen Vervaeke said. “The work of Fartuun Adan with her daughter Ilwad Elman, continuing work begun by her late husband Elman Ali Ahmed 30 years ago, offers lessons on how building peace demands strong local engagement and deep foundations in society.”
The organisation, and the family, have shared in the sufferings of fellow Somalis. Adan fled her homeland with their three young daughters. Her husband remained and was murdered in 1996. Ten years later, Adan returned from refuge in Canada to take up the work he had started and was followed by their daughters. Tragically, the eldest, Almaas, was also killed, in 2019.
With a staff of 200 in Mogadishu and eight regional branches across Somalia, Elman Peace has helped thousands of children and teenagers reintegrated back into their communities; opened the first rape crisis centres in Somalia; run programs for educating teenage girls; and provide mental support to people affected by conflict.
To register for the event, click here.
