“I am very passionate about girl’s education and their right to be educated alongside their male peers. To be a girl is not that easy in Somalia but I hope we can help these girls to regain confidence and the ability to gain a fair and equitable chance at becoming educated” Rakia Bihi
Rakia Bihi is a Somali-Norwegian from Oslo. Rakia works at the Leadership Foundation in Norway as an Advisor directing the foundation on several initiatives within the Somali community in Scandinavia. During an internship at the Somali Canadian NGO, she was trained as a facilitator in a program called Help Increase Peace Program (HIPP). The internship helped her nature her skills as a mentor for Somali girls in Somalia.
Rakia has since been engaged in the Somali Diaspora community where she has been involved in various initiatives. Today she is the Project Manager for the Nordic Somali Summit, as well as an active member of the Somali Nordic Representatives.
Rakia believes empowering the youth is a way of empowering the entire community and tacking the push factors contributing to youth embarking on irregular journey.
“We have to empower the youth in the country, we have to empower them to believe in themselves. And knowing they can change the country, without thinking “no I can’t I am not from the right Qawal, I am not old enough or I can’t do this” …. “she says.