Established with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bilan has provided the first opportunity for Somali women journalists to exercise complete editorial independence, deciding what they want to report and how. They have already used this freedom to break some of Somalia’s first major stories on a range of challenging issues, spurring public debate and official reaction. This includes reports on HIV-positive Somalis living in fear, the abuse of female orphans, schools for autistic children and teachers, an epidemic of opiate use among women in Mogadishu and how drought hits women and families.

“Somalia hasn’t seen anything like Bilan before and we have opened people’s hearts and minds to the power of women in the media and the importance of having stories told from our perspective,” said Bilan’s Chief Editor, Fathi Mohamed Ahmed. “I am very proud to be the Chief Editor for Bilan because it provides a voice for the voiceless.”

Inside Somalia, Bilan’s reports have reached millions via the radio, TV and social media channels of Dalsan Media Group, which hosts Bilan at offices in Mogadishu. Bilan’s reports have also appeared regularly in international media, including the Guardian, BBC and El País, raising the profile of Somali women journalists and proving they can compete at the top of their profession, even while dealing with challenges that range from discrimination and threats of violence to interviewing high-profile figures with new-born children in tow. 

Despite Bilan’s meteoric rise, all of its journalists have faced a difficult road to their current success and their individual stories show how tough it can be for Somali women to make it in journalism. Chief editor Fathi had to pretend to her parents she was studying IT while taking journalism courses and faced abuse in the streets this year for going to work while pregnant. Reporter Kiin regularly covers stories about refugees and IDPs but herself grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya. Youngest team member, Shukri had to face down social pressure when leaving her home in Baidoa for the first time to work at Bilan in Mogadishu. 

“Over the last year, Bilan has provided a safe space where Somali women journalists can call the shots. They’ve used that power to bring new stories to light, covering issues like HIV/AIDS and gender violence, that have sparked some of the very first public debates on these subjects and transformed public attitudes to women in journalism,” said UNDP Somalia’s Deputy Resident Representative, Sophie Kemkhadze. 

UNDP provides funding for Bilan and a programme of capacity building that has seen some of the most familiar names in media offer virtual masterclasses, including Lyse Doucet, Rageh Omaar, Lindsey Hilsum and Mishal Husain, helping to boost Bilan’s skills and confidence.

“Over the next year, we will be expanding the Bilan project to bring support to more women journalists in Somalia,” added Kemkhadze. “The women journalists of Bilan will play a key role in this by sharing their skills and experience, working on joint stories with Somali women journalists across the country and through the ongoing internship programme that sees Bilan host final-year students from Somalia’s top journalism faculties.”

“Bilan showcases the talent of Somali women journalists and disproves stereotypes,” said Bilan reporter Hinda Abdi Mohamoud. “It has provided me with a safe and secure environment in which to work and shows how a group of women journalists can manage a media unit and produce successful content.” 

For more information and to arrange interviews, contact:

Rob Few, UNDP Somalia, Head of Communication robert.few@undp.org (mobile/Whatsapp +44 7947 710 860)

Ilyas Ahmed, UNDP Somalia, Communication Analyst, ilyas.abukar@undp.org (mobile/Whatsapp + 252 619 2888 67)

Mary Harper, Chief Technical Specialist for the Bilan project, mary@maryharper.co.uk (mobile/Whatsapp +44 7762 146 860)

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Professional photos and b-roll of Bilan at work are available here. UNDP can also facilitate media visits to the Bilan offices in Mogadishu or to capture the team reporting in the field. 

About UNDP Somalia 

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org/somalia or follow us at @UNDPSomalia (Twitter) and @undpsom (Facebook).

About Bilan

Bilan is Somalia’s first all-women media team. Staffed and run entirely by women with full editorial independence, the unit covers hard news and in-depth features, holding leaders to account and making sure women’s stories and voices are heard. Bilan is funded and supported by UNDP and hosted by Dalsan Media Group at offices in Mogadishu.

Additional quotes from Bilan

“The stories we have produced this year would never get attention in Somalia before, including elderly people living with HIV, drug addiction among young women, female farmers studying agriculture degrees and many more.”

- Bilan’s Chief Editor, Fathi Mohamed Ahmed

“Women journalists are more productive than men if they have the freedom to think, a safe place to work, and a platform, like Bilan, to express their ideas.” 

- Bilan reporter, Kiin Hassan Fakat

“During my first year with Bilan, I learned a lot about journalism, including how to film, edit, report and do interviews. I especially enjoy covering humanitarian issues and I am grateful to Bilan for giving me a platform where we can showcase untold stories, like our recent feature on youth gang violence in Mogadishu.”

 - Reporter, Naciimo Saed Salah

Additional quotes from UNDP Somalia 

(Attributable to Sophie Kemkhadze, UNDP Somalia Deputy Resident Representative)

Somalia is one of the most difficult places to be a woman and journalists are particularly vulnerable because they are in the public eye. They risk harassment and abuse on the streets, in the newsroom and even from their own families. 

Bilan has proved that when Somali women journalists are given the power to make decisions and run their own businesses, they can compete at the highest levels – not just in Somalia but globally. In its first year, Bilan has had articles commissioned by the Guardian, the BBC, El Pais and Missing Perspectives. This is a record that would make journalists anywhere proud, not just those from a brand-new start up media venture in Mogadishu. 

UNDP, in partnership with Dalsan Media Group, has provided the training, equipment and distribution channels that have helped Bilan’s women journalists create some of the most interesting journalism being produced in Somalia today. The project has changed the way women professionals are seen by the public and brought attention to long-ignored issues ranging from HIV to gender violence and autism.

I remember reading my first Bilan stories in the Guardian and El Pais months ago and being amazed by how passionately and bravely they spoke about issues affecting not just women but a range of vulnerable people in society. I knew they would be a force for change and their achievements over the last year have shown this time and again, particularly in the strength of the public response to their stories and the way they bring these issues right to the desks and smartphones of the policy makers who can address them.