Fartuun Adan and Ms. Ilwad Elman, Founders of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre, Somalia
Mother and daughter team who are unwavering in their mission to protect human rights, women’s rights, and facilitate peace building, development and the rehabilitation of child soldiers amidst insecure and dangerous conditions in Somalia.
Jamila Afghani, Chairperson of the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organization, Afghanistan
A polio victim who accidentally received the gift of reading, Jamila Afghani has dedicated her life to bringing reading and education to girls and women in Afghanistan, while enlisting the help of Muslim leaders of faith in her mission.
Muhammad Darwish, Medical Doctor at the Madaya Field Hospital, Syria
A student of dentistry returned to his hometown in Syria and took on the full responsibilities of a medical doctor, began to perform medical procedures, offered care and maintained meticulous documentation of the conditions of patients, many of them children, affected by persisting violence, thus bringing international attention to the besieged area.
Denis Mukwege, Gynecological Surgeon and Founder of the Panzi Hospital, The Democratic Republic of the Congo
An obstetrician turned gynecological surgeon who is providing physical, psychological and legal support to more than 50,000 survivors of sexual violence in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, while fearlessly seeking to bring to justice those responsible.
Tom Catena, Surgeon at the Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains, Sudan
A Catholic missionary and doctor who for nearly a decade remains the only permanent doctor to treat the remote and war-torn region’s half-million population, performing more than 1,000 operations each year. Catena was also nominated for the Aurora Prize in 2016.
