“Filanwaa, it means unexpected”

My name is Zamzam, I was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and I run an organisation called Filanwaa Refugee Women’s Association. 

A childhood on the move

I’ve been a refugee almost all my life. In 1992, when I was still a child, we had to flee Somalia to Kenya – where we stayed in three different camps for people who had been displaced. After a few years, the UNHCR returned us to Somalia because the camp was being closed and it was thought that the situation in Somalia was improving. But we didn’t go back to Mogadishu – it was still a war zone. We stayed in another region, near the Kenyan border, but things were not good there either. 

War started again and we went back to Kenya, this time to Dadaab camp. Throughout my childhood, we were always moving. I was about six or seven when I first became a refugee. By the time I arrived in South Africa, I was sixteen.

South Africa gave me the chance to feel settled. There was more opportunity to move around and we did not have to live in a camp. But life here was never easy either, especially being a refugee, raising children, and trying to understand the system.

My mother’s example

My experience as a child who was a refugee is what keeps me strong today. I was raised by a single mother who fled to a foreign country, not speaking English, not understanding the system – just surviving. Her strength is a big reason why I go on.

For me, sometimes resilience is just survival. It’s taking the hardest experiences and turning them into something positive in the hope of moving forward. 

The beginning of Filanwaa

The organisation I started with other women is called Filanwaa Refugee Women’s Association. It’s led by women who are refugees, for women who are refugees and asylum seekers. 

Filanwaa means “unexpected” and it has quite negative connotations. When we first came together, every woman had a story full of unexpected things – some of their husbands were killed and many were just surviving in a new country where nothing was as we thought. We decided to take that word and make it positive. We said; “what if we succeed unexpectedly?” 

Building a safe space

At Filanwaa, we run workshops every few months on issues like healthcare, education, legal rights. We also collaborate with the UCT law clinic. But it doesn’t stop there as I am also a member of the community. I get calls at any time –  nights, weekends – when people need help. Once your number is shared in the Somali community, it spreads across tribes. People know they can reach out.

I’ve helped women challenge schools that refused to enroll their children because they didn’t have documents – so far I’ve helped 37 children enroll in school.  I’ve worked with clinics because sometimes women who are not South African are mistreated there. Sometimes nurses assume you don’t speak English and they say things they shouldn’t. I always speak up. I always think of my experience and try to put myself in someone else’s shoes, that is why I stand up.

How it started

It really began in 2006, when a group of Somali women came to my house. Their husbands or brothers had been killed, and they needed my help with interpreting and translation. They were working with the UCT Refugee Rights Clinic to collect death certificates to challenge the government and the media on what had happened to them. 

UCT noticed how I connected with the women, even though I was much younger – remember, I had similar experiences with my mother. They invited me to a refugee rights workshop, where I learned about refugee rights in South Africa. I took this knowledge back to the group of women and I said; let’s share this knowledge. Let’s use our group as a network to reach more women.

I want to highlight an important part of my story. I had a mentor, Vicky Engleston, who worked alongside us, helping write reports about how police were treating women badly. We also did research together – this work was unpaid and without any funding, but we did it. Her support shaped me into the powerful woman I am today.

Why I keep going

Having children in South Africa has made me even braver. After I had my first child, I saw that raising children as a person who is a refugee is not easy. But the compassion I feel – because of my mother, because of my own journey – makes me fight for other women.

Our aim at Filanwaa is to create a group of women that are independent, that have confidence, that have leadership skills and who support each other. We hope that when they learn they will also pass on the message and teach other people the same thing that they’ve learned.

My hope

I’ve been part of UNHCR workshops recently that helped me strengthen Filanwaa’s structure. My hope for the future is that women who are refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa get the services that they are entitled to. That they are understood, accepted and can live with dignity.

Zamzam’s story is one of four portraits celebrating the opportunities created by women’s resilience.