Dr. Hawa Abdi

Somalia's first female gynecologist, Dr. Hawa Abdi is more than just a medical practitioner: she's a pillar of heroism. Since 1991, the year Somalia's civil war ignited, she's been providing educational and health care services to citizens displaced by the fighting. It started with housing employees and then housing friends of friends until her land became one of the largest IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camps in the country. Twenty years later, her eponymous foundation continues to aid the people of Somalia, particularly women, who the organization strives to protect and empower. The exceptional services that The Hawa Abdi Foundation provide are recognized all across the globe. In 2010, Glamour magazine dubbed the doctor and her two daughters (also physicians) "Women of the Year."