Women are now very much in the forefront in trade. War made them responsible for the family economically. Outsiders, including Ian Macleod of Unicef, agrees. They've been crucial in our relief efforts. The person that runs the kitchen holds the power.
Food creates power in their own extended family.
But the women, like their children, have suffered great losses in the war and famine, and in some ways they remain the most vulnerable. Many women worry that their prospects might be lost in the fight for power in a new Somalia. To succeed, we need relief and rehabilitation. We are doing the majority of the work, and we should get our share in politics. In this mostly nomadic society, women have always been the laborers of the family, raising children, tending camels, sheep and cows, even running small businesses.