AISHA HUSSEIN ROBA

Aisha Hussein Roba is a human rights advocate, founder of Every Girl’s Dream, and a survivor of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She is affiliated with the Isiolo Survivors Network, Frontline End FGM, and the Sister to Sister Initiative. Her work is driven by a simple but powerful belief: every girl deserves to grow up safe, stay in school, and have the opportunity to achieve her dreams.

Growing up in the Borana community, Aisha witnessed the expectations placed on girls and later experienced the lifelong effects of FGM herself. It was after facing complications during childbirth that she fully understood the lasting physical and emotional impact of the practice. Rather than allowing that experience to define her, she chose to use her voice to protect other girls from going through the same journey.

Through Every Girl’s Dream, Aisha works closely with women, girls, young people, government institutions, religious leaders, elders, parents, and other community members to end FGM, prevent child marriage, respond to gender-based violence, promote girls’ education, support mental health, and empower young people. She believes lasting change only happens when the whole community is part of the conversation.

Her work brings people together through community dialogues, anti-FGM caravans, school outreach programmes, mentorship sessions, youth forums, storytelling, and arts-based advocacy. She also creates safe spaces where survivors can share their experiences, heal, and become advocates within their own communities. Alongside awareness creation, she supports girls who are at risk of dropping out of school by linking them to education opportunities and mentorship. So far, thirteen girls have secured scholarships to continue with their secondary education through her organisation’s support.

Over the years, Aisha’s work has directly and indirectly reached more than 20,000 people across Isiolo County. She has led community conversations that bring together elders, women, religious leaders, youth, and local authorities to discuss the effects of FGM and find community-led solutions. Her approach has helped strengthen survivor-led advocacy and opened spaces where difficult conversations can happen with honesty, respect, and hope.

One moment that continues to remind her why she does this work came after an anti-FGM dialogue and mentorship session. A young girl approached her and shared that she had been at risk of undergoing FGM and leaving school. After listening to survivors speak and learning about her rights, she found the courage to talk to her mother and ask for help. With support from Every Girl’s Dream, she remained in school. Months later, the girl returned full of confidence, hopeful about her future, and determined to become a role model for others. For Aisha, that moment reaffirmed that creating safe spaces and investing in girls can change lives.

The journey has not been easy. She continues to face resistance from people who believe FGM is part of culture or religion, and limited resources often make it difficult to reach remote communities where girls are most at risk. Sharing her own story also means revisiting painful memories. Yet these challenges have only strengthened her resolve to continue advocating for girls and women.

What makes Aisha’s work different is that it is led by the community and informed by lived experience. As a survivor, she understands the fears, pressures, and realities many girls face. Instead of judging communities, she chooses dialogue, listening, and partnership. She believes people are more willing to embrace change when they feel respected and included in the process.

Compassion, dignity, courage, equality, justice, and community guide everything she does. To her, sisterhood means women and girls standing together, lifting one another up, and creating spaces where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. She believes no girl or woman should have to walk alone.

Aisha sees the Sister to Sister Initiative as a place where women human rights defenders can learn from one another, build meaningful partnerships, and amplify the voices of grassroots advocates whose work is often unseen. She believes the initiative can strengthen local efforts by expanding mentorship opportunities, building skills, and creating stronger networks of support for women leading change in their communities.

To leaders and the global community, Aisha’s message is clear: ending FGM and empowering girls requires more than commitments it requires sustained investment in grassroots organisations and survivors who are leading change every day. She calls for greater support for education, protection, and economic opportunities for girls, reminding the world that when a girl is supported, entire communities benefit.

Looking ahead, Aisha dreams of a community where girls are safe, educated, free from FGM and child marriage, and able to make their own choices without fear. She also hopes to grow Every Girl’s Dream so it can reach even more underserved communities and continue giving girls the opportunity to realise their full potential.

No society can thrive when half of its population is left behind.

AISHA HUSSEIN ROBA

AISHA HUSSEIN ROBA

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