Heshima Kenya Showcasing Somalian Women Humanitarians at Chicago Premiere Screening (Parliament Sponsored Event)
The Parliament of the World’s Religions is pleased to support the Chicago premiere of Through the Fire hosted by Heshima Kenya and the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation.
Via Heshima Kenya:
The acclaimed documentary, Through the Fire, will premiere at the Lake Street Screening Room in Chicago on Monday April 7th. Hosted by the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation and Heshima Kenya, the screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Dr. Deqo Mohamed, CEO of the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation and daughter of Dr. Hawa Abdi.
After over two decades of war, Somalia has been portrayed internationally as a lawless state marred by piracy, conflict, and famine. However, Through the Fire presents a different side of Somalia, telling the stories of three courageous Somali women who never gave up on their country. The three women, Dr. Hawa Abdi, Dr. Edna Adan, and Ilwad Elman, are icons of strength and resiliency.
Monday, April 7, 2014
7 :00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
70 E. Lake Street Suite 1604
General admission is $20.00 and $15.00 for students. Tickets will be sold at $25.00 at the door. Only 40 tickets are available for this exclusive screening, so buy now as they are anticipated to sell out quickly.
Funds raised from the screening will go directly towards supporting Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation’s work in Somalia. Additional donations are welcomed at the event.
RSVP on Facebook here upon ticket purchase.
About the Speaker
Dr. Deqo Aden Mohamed is the daughter of Dr. Hawa Abdi. She was born in Mogadishu, grew up feeding the refugees her mother was harboring, and earned an MD in Moscow in 2000. She was an OB-GYN resident in Russia up to 2003. She continued to go back to the internally displaced camp, which hosted up to more than 90,000 people at one point, to work during her holidays. She came to America as a refugee in 2003 and gained extensive experience working in healthcare. She became a naturalized American in 2008.
Today, she works full time on the ground in Somalia. She leads all operations in the Hawa Abdi Village in Lower Shabelle, while ensuring the safety of the 300 families who have found permanent shelter in the community. She leads the 400-bed Dr. Hawa Abdi General Hospital, the Waqaf-Diblawe Primary School, a women’s education centre, and a smart farming agriculture project. She simultaneously manages the administrative aspects of DHAF as CEO of the organization in the United States.
Besides her work, Dr. Mohamed regularly attends conferences and speaks on behalf of DHAF, her mother’s lifework, and on Somalia. Recently, she was invited as a guest speaker at the World Forum on Human Rights in Brasilia, Brazil, and participated in a ceremony on kidney diseases in Chennai, India. Dr. Mohamed has been featured on media outlets such as TED, the Leonard Lopate Show, and the Daily Beast.
Featured image courtesy of Pixbay
