Southwest State, Somalia
Hiil Bilaang works on skills and income, farmers cooperatives and safe water, alongside protection and gender equality. Programs are designed with communities and stay owned by them.
Working alongside
United Nations agencies, government institutions, civil society and the private sector.
Vocational training
Why we exist
Somalia’s prolonged civil conflict severely affected the country’s economy, agriculture, businesses, health services and education system. The consequences fell hardest on women and girls, who carried the loss of income, the loss of schooling and the risk of violence at the same time.
Recognizing the urgent need for peace, security, human rights protection and economic opportunity, a group of Somali women entrepreneurs and professionals came together to establish an organization dedicated to empowering women and improving their lives. The founders bring experience in peace and community security, human rights protection, gender equality and community development.
Where we place emphasis
01
Prevention work, survivor centred response and referral of cases to law enforcement and judicial institutions.
02
Community education, safe reporting routes and sustained campaigning against the practices that enable abuse.
03
Human rights education, legal literacy and protection work covering women, girls and children.
04
Support for women’s participation in community development, governance, peace building and public life.
Our work
Vision
A peaceful, inclusive and equitable society where women and girls live free from all forms of violence, participate in peace building and decision making, and enjoy equal opportunity to realize their full social, economic and political potential.
Areas of work
Three lines of work that hold a household steady. Training is matched to work that exists locally, farming is organised so it pays, and safe water underpins both. Women headed households are a standing priority throughout.
Livelihoods
Practical skills that turn into income, so a household can cover its own costs and plan further than the next month. Training is matched to work that exists locally, and women headed households are a standing priority.
Farmers cooperatives
Organised farmer groups that raise productivity and share the cost of getting produce to market. The result is better food security, higher income and farming that can be sustained.
Water and sanitation
The organization's current priority. Reliable, safe water underpins everything else: public health, the farming above, and a community's ability to hold together through a dry season.
Partnerships
Collaboration strengthens the institutional capacity of the organization and widens the reach of every program.
Technical cooperation on protection, gender equality and humanitarian response, and alignment with national and international standards.
Joint program delivery, co funding and shared learning that brings international practice into local implementation.
Day to day collaboration with the organizations closest to affected communities, including referral pathways and shared facilitation.
Engagement with ministries, local administrations, law enforcement and judicial institutions on protection and access to justice.
Research, evidence and public advocacy that connect community level experience to wider debate and policy.
Employment pathways for young women, enterprise support for trainees, and long term investment in livelihoods.
Newsroom
Program Summary Hiil-Bilaang Empowering Women Association implements integrated programs designed to protect women and girls, strengthen their economic and social empowerment, promote gender equality, and increase women's participation in peacebuilding and decision-making processes.
We work with United Nations agencies, government institutions, civil society, academic institutions and the private sector. Tell us what you are building and we will tell you where we can help.
