SOMALIA —Dr. Edna Adan Ismail, a nurse-midwife, hospital founder, healthcare advocate, and anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) campaigner, has been awarded the 2023 Templeton Prize.
Her remarkable achievements in changing cultural, religious, and medical norms surrounding women’s health in East Africa have significantly improved the lives of thousands in the region.
Among her notable accomplishments is the establishment of the Edna Adan University and Edna Adan Hospital, which have played a vital role in reducing maternal mortality in Somaliland. Driven by her passion, she has tirelessly campaigned to end FGM globally.
Similar to Mother Teresa, who received the inaugural Templeton Prize fifty years ago in 1973, Edna has dedicated herself to serving a community that lacked adequate medical care, making a global impact.
Heather Templeton Dill, the president of the John Templeton Foundation, expressed their delight in honoring Edna Adan Ismail.
She said, “We are delighted to honor Edna Adan Ismail, a woman who has used the teachings of her faith, the influence of her family, and her education in science to improve the health and opportunities of some of the world’s most vulnerable women and girls.”
This year, the Templeton Prize celebrates its first African woman recipient, reflecting the prize’s history of recognizing winners from diverse faiths, fields, and nationalities.
Established by the late British investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, the Templeton Prize is valued at US$1.4 million and is one of the world’s largest annual individual awards.
It aims to acknowledge individuals who harness the power of science to explore profound questions about the universe and humanity’s place and purpose within it.
In response to receiving the award, Dr. Edna Adan Ismail expressed her gratitude, highlighting the major contribution it would make to the U.S.-based Friends of Edna Maternity Hospital.
She explained that the funds would support the hospital in obtaining medical equipment, hiring expert educators, expanding their services to reach more patients, and continuing to train the next generation of healthcare workers desperately needed in East Africa.
Dr. Edna Adan Ismail was born in 1937 in Hargeisa, the capital of British Somaliland at the time. Her father, a doctor, played a significant role in inspiring and supporting her education.
Despite societal norms, she received an education in nursing and midwifery at the Borough Polytechnic, which is now known as London South Bank University.
In 1961, she returned to her homeland as the first professionally trained nurse-midwife and the first to hold a position of political authority in the Ministry of Health.
During the civil war in Somalia, she joined the World Health Organization (WHO) as an advisor, serving as the regional technical officer for maternal and child health and later as the WHO representative to Djibouti.
Driven by a strong desire to make a difference, she decided to leave her prominent international career and pursue her ambitious dream of building a hospital from scratch.
Selling all her assets and gaining support from around the world after her story was featured in The New York Times, she opened the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in 2002.
The hospital not only provides critical patient care but also started training nurses even before its official opening.
Eventually, this educational program expanded into the establishment of Edna Adan University in 2010.
The university has trained over 4,000 students in various medical disciplines, including doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, surgeons, pharmacists, lab technicians, anaesthetists, and public health professionals.
Dr. Edna Adan Ismail is a vocal critic of FGM, a practice that causes immense pain, disfigurement, and life-threatening consequences for women.
Having experienced FGM herself at the age of eight, she witnessed the severe complications during childbirth caused by the scarring.
Her profile and advocacy efforts have sparked interest and a movement against FGM, although it continues to be practiced in several countries and has spread to other nations due to migration.
Her fight to end FGM persists through international advocacy and at her hospital, where they provide care for complications resulting from the procedure.
They also lead efforts against the practice by utilizing Somali-language materials to educate the local population and engage religious leaders.
Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times, commended Dr. Edna Adan Ismail in a letter endorsing her for the Templeton Prize.
He praised her for bringing lifesaving science to one of the world’s poorest countries, while effectively addressing culture and religion in sensitive ways. He also highlighted her exceptional role model status.
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