Ilwad Elman and her mother, Fartuun Adan, have been working to bring peace to Somalia, a job that was started by Elman's father until his death. Now the family carries on his legacy.
Posted: Oct 30, 2022 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: October 30Fartuun Adan and her daughter Ilwad Elman fled war in Somalia in the 1990s, and after being granted asylum in Ottawa the mother-daughter duo has pushed for peace in their home country.Adan took her three young daughters to Canada leaving her husband, peace activist Elman Ali Ahmed, behind.
Adan and Elman have been short-listed for the Nobel Peace Prize three times and last month the pair received an award in Sweden.When Adan and her daughters first arrived in Ottawa, she didn't know any English and lived on her own. Tragedy struck the family again when Elman's sister — and Adan's daughter — was shot and killed in Mogadishu in 2019.Bringing things 'full circle'Elman said coming back to the nation's capital felt like coming home, and really brought things "full circle."