Faduma Mohamed

Leading her community, fighting for justice

They were terrified. Sniper fire could be heard after each plane took off. Faduma Mohamed and her two children were scheduled to fly out in the afternoon but were forced to return home. Flights were grounded while rumours about fighters moving towards Mogadishu spread through the community and government officials scrambled to evacuate their own families. Finally, night came and Faduma and her children boarded the last regular flight from Mogadishu airport, escaping to Germany just two days before war broke out in Somalia.

Sixteen years have passed since that harrowing night in 1990. Faduma and her family now live in the City of Vaughan. In 2004, Faduma received a Persons Day Award from the City of Toronto, honouring women who have made significant contributions to the advancement of women in Toronto.

Taking initiatives to help people in need is a family tradition, says Faduma. “Growing up I watched my mother and grandparents taking care of other people who were less fortunate, people who were sick. I was really impacted by that.”

As a teenager in Mogadishu, Faduma and her classmates organized themselves, creating and running their own library from books donated by UNESCO and foreign governments. In 1978 as a scholarship student at the Justus Liebig University in Germany, she became the president of the African Student Organization. “Racism was very open and blatant in Germany at the time. When an African student was killed we were able to stick together. We questioned the coroner’s report and demonstrated,” says Faduma.

After arriving in Canada as a refugee in 1995, Faduma immediately rallied around Somali women refugees, many of whom were raising their children alone, because their husbands had not yet escaped Somalia or had died in the war.

“They were clearly wonderful moms and worked hard for their kids, but the language and cultural barriers were a big problem. I thought this was a good place for me to try to help these women and children and give them a better future,” says Faduma who speaks English, Somali, German and some Arabic.

Her work with the Somali community led her to tackle the issues facing Somali youth, many of whom felt alienated, and were having difficulty settling in Toronto. Joining the Somali Youth Association of Toronto (SOYAT) as its Executive Director in 2003, Faduma started mentorship, big brother and big sister programmes, and built alliances with the John Howard Society, the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto and other mainstream agencies.

At SOYAT, she brought more youth onto the board and into the organization, an initiative that challenged tradition. “In the Somali community, young people are not usually given leadership positions, adults are the leaders and young people followers; it was a challenge to confront that concept,” says Faduma.

Leaders face tough decisions and sometimes loss, she adds, but the gains are often great. The transition to a new, young executive director was smooth and today SOYAT is run and led entirely by youth. “If you are a leader that cannot be replaced, you are not a good leader,” adds Faduma.

Her professional and volunteer career has now included an impressive range of outreach and settlement work with organizations such as the Rexdale Women’s Centre, CultureLink and the African Youth Settlement and Development Project. In addition she is increasingly asked to serve on a variety of boards and task forces across the Toronto region. Faduma is currently a board member of the Family Service Association of Toronto and the Youth Challenge Fund.

“What I have learned in this multicultural Canada is to be open to different cultures. I can add to what I brought and accept opinions of other people, without losing my own,” says Faduma. She brings this perspective to her current position as Executive Director of Labour Community Services where she helps build bridges between the labour movement and the community.

For Faduma, leadership has meant not being afraid to take controversial positions in her community and fighting for social justice in the wider Canadian society. “I can’t say that I will see a just society in my lifetime; nevertheless I encourage people to fight for their rights and for justice.”

Faduma participated in the 2000-2001 Leaders for Change program.