Edna Adan Ismail, founder of Somaliland’s landmark maternity hospital and a global advocate for women’s health, has been honored with the 2025 Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice for her lifelong humanitarian work
MUMBAI / HARGEISA — In a world strained by inequality, fragile health systems, and humanitarian fatigue, Edna Adan Ismail has spent more than half a century proving a stubbornly hopeful proposition: dignity can be defended—patient by patient, birth by birth.
On Monday, that lifelong mission was recognized once again when the Harmony Foundation named the 88-year-old Somaliland pioneer the 2025 recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice, conferred under the theme “Guardians of Humanity.” The honor places Ismail among a distinguished global cohort recognized not for momentary impact, but for lives changed across generations.
For Ismail, the award adds to a rare constellation of international recognition, following her receipt of the 2023 Templeton Prize, which cited her “extraordinary contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” Yet those who know her work say its center of gravity remains far from award ceremonies—rooted instead in Hargeisa, where her legacy continues to unfold daily in hospital wards and training halls.
A Pension, a Graveyard, and a Radical Bet on Life
After a distinguished career at the World Health Organization, Ismail returned home to Somaliland in the aftermath of war, at a time when maternal healthcare was almost nonexistent. Rather than retire, she made a decision that would come to define her life’s work: she invested her own pension and personal savings to build what many insisted could not be built.
The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, constructed on land once used as a graveyard, opened as both a medical facility and a statement of intent—turning a site of loss into a center of life. Today, it functions as a hospital, teaching institution, and university, training midwives, nurses, and doctors who now serve some of the most remote communities in the Horn of Africa.
More than 1,000 trained midwives have graduated from the institution, multiplying its impact far beyond its walls.
“This is not charity,” Ismail has often said in public remarks. “It is justice.”
Confronting Tradition With Evidence and Moral Resolve
The Mother Teresa Memorial Award also recognizes Ismail’s decades-long campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)—a fight she has waged not through slogans, but through data, education, and institutional reform. Her approach has emphasized training health professionals, engaging religious and community leaders, and embedding change into durable systems that outlast any individual.
In announcing the award, the Harmony Foundation praised her “courageous advocacy against radical traditional practices,” noting that her leadership transformed maternal care into a sustainable public system.
Dr. Abraham Mathai, founder-chairman of the Harmony Foundation and a former vice chairperson of India’s Minorities Commission, described Ismail’s work as “a powerful movement for women’s empowerment.”
“What makes Dr. Edna Adan’s work exceptional is that it does not depend on rhetoric,” Mathai said during the ceremony. “It depends on outcomes—on institutions that continue to serve long after the founder steps away.”
Twenty-One Years of Honoring Humanity’s Guardians
The Mother Teresa Memorial Awards for Social Justice 2025 were held on December 21, 2025, at Hotel Sofitel BKC in Mumbai, marking 21 years since the Harmony Foundation began recognizing individuals and organizations embodying Mother Teresa’s ethic of compassion and service.
The ceremony was attended by a cross-section of India’s judicial, civil service, and cultural leadership, including Justice K.K. Tated (Retd.), IPS officers Vinita Sahu and Krishna Prakash, advocate Abha Singh, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and actor Denzil Smith.
Reflecting on the origins of the award, Dr. Mathai drew a contrast with honors shaped by historical regret or political circumstance.
“Unlike awards born from remorse,” he said, citing Alfred Nobel, “the Mother Teresa Award was born of pure service—inspired by a woman who walked into suffering with love as her compass.”
He noted that acceptance of the award by eight Nobel Laureates, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, underscores its global moral resonance.
A Global Roster, a Local Conscience
This year’s honorees reflected the breadth of humanitarian action across continents. Dr. Denis Mukwege, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate known for treating survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was recognized in absentia, conveying his gratitude via video message from exile.
Other recipients included environmental conservationist Swami Prem Parivartan, known as “Peepal Baba,” honored for planting and conserving millions of trees across India; Safeena Husain, founder of Educate Girls; Dr. Ganesh Rakh of the Save the Girl Child mission; Dr. Rajendra Singh, the “Waterman of India”; Dr. Heba El-Sewedy, founder of Egypt’s Ahl Masr Foundation and Burn Hospital; and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, recognized for its global work supporting critically ill children.
Yet for many Somalilanders, Ismail’s recognition formalizes what has long been understood at home: she is a moral architect of the nation—a quiet conscience in action whose influence has shaped public health, women’s rights, and institutional credibility in an unrecognized state.
International and Local Tributes
Louise Hancock, Head of the British Office in Hargeisa, extended her congratulations, calling Ismail “ever-inspiring.”
“Huge congratulations to the ever-inspiring Dr. Edna Adan for being awarded the Mother Teresa ‘Guardians of Humanity’ award,” Hancock said, praising her lifelong dedication to maternal health and the fight against FGM.
Huge congratulations to the ever-inspiring Dr (Dame) @EdnaAdan for being awarded the Mother Teresa ‘Guardians of Humanity’ award. #WomenWhoInspire #Somaliland pic.twitter.com/qzQEW3rFBq
— Louise Hancock (@HeadBritOffice) December 22, 2025
The Edna Adan University also welcomed the recognition in a public statement, describing the honor as “deeply meaningful” for Somaliland’s first qualified nurse and midwife.
“This recognition celebrates Dr. Edna’s lifelong dedication to humanitarian service, maternal health, education, and the dignity of women and children,” the university said, noting that the award honors not only Ismail herself, “but also Somaliland and the thousands of health professionals trained at the Edna Adan Hospital and University.”
As she often reminds audiences, borrowing Mother Teresa’s words: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Across a lifetime, Edna Adan Ismail has transformed that modest creed into great outcomes—and, in doing so, has helped guard humanity where it matters most.
Edna Adan Ismail: A Life in Service and Global Recognition
Career milestones and international honors of Somaliland’s foremost humanitarian
1937
Born in Hargeisa, then British Somaliland, into a family committed to education and public service.
1950s
Becomes Somaliland’s first qualified nurse and midwife, training in the United Kingdom at a time when professional medical education for Somali women was exceptionally rare.
1960s–1990s
Serves in senior roles at the World Health Organization (WHO), working across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia on maternal health, reproductive rights, and public health systems. Gains international recognition as a leading advocate for safe motherhood and women’s dignity in healthcare.
1997
Receives national decorations from the Republic of Djibouti, recognizing her regional leadership in public health and women’s advancement.
1997
Returns permanently to Somaliland after years of international service, committing herself to rebuilding maternal healthcare in a post-war society.
2002
Founds the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa using her own pension and personal savings, transforming land once used as a graveyard into a center of life and learning.
2002
Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Clark University (United States) in recognition of her global contributions to women’s health and human rights.
2003–2006
Serves as Somaliland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, becoming one of the Horn of Africa’s most prominent female political leaders while continuing her health and education advocacy.
2000s–2010s
Expands the maternity hospital into a teaching institution and university, training midwives, nurses, and doctors. More than 1,000 midwives graduate and deploy across Somaliland and the wider Horn of Africa.
2007
Inducted into the Medical Mission Hall of Fame, honoring her lifetime dedication to service in resource-limited and post-conflict settings.
2012
Receives France’s Légion d’honneur, one of the country’s highest civilian decorations, recognizing her humanitarian leadership and contributions to global health.
2012
Awarded the United Nations Population Award, citing her transformative impact on maternal health, reproductive rights, and the fight against harmful traditional practices.
2000s–Present
Leads a sustained, evidence-based campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), combining medical research, community education, and institutional reform across Somaliland and the wider region.
2023
Awarded the Templeton Prize, recognizing her work in affirming women’s dignity and the spiritual dimension of human life through healthcare, education, and moral leadership.
2025
Receives the Gusi Peace Prize, honoring her lifelong humanitarian service and contributions to peace, health, and social justice.
December 21, 2025
Honored with the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice in Mumbai by the Harmony Foundation, under the theme “Guardians of Humanity.”
Throughout Her Career
Recipient of numerous honorary doctorates, fellowships, and international leadership awards, recognizing her sustained advocacy for women’s health, education, and institutional reform across Africa and beyond.
Today
At 88, continues to guide and inspire the work of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital and Training Institute, remaining one of Somaliland’s most respected moral voices and a global symbol of humanitarian leadership.
