SOMALIA’S FIRST ALL-WOMEN
MEDIA TEAM

Putting women in charge of the story.

“Bilan”, Somalia’s first all-women media team, is revolutionising the media landscape, providing women with a safe space to work and the power to choose what they report and how they cover it, all while operating in one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist and in one of the most conservative societies, where women are expected to stay at home and out of public life.

The team reports a mix of hard news and in-depth features, with reports distributed locally on Dalsan and internationally through outlets including the Guardian, the BBC, El Pais, New Humanitarian, Missing Perspectives, TRT and the Toronto Star.

With its unique perspective and access to women’s lives and opinions, Bilan is breaking new ground not just for women journalists but also for Somali journalism. They are shining a light on stories that have long been ignored, from domestic violence and women prisoners to pay inequality and child-age mothers. Recent reports on HIV/AIDS, albinism, autism and menstrual hygiene education in schools have spurred public debate and calls for policy change.

BBC’s Mishal Husain on Bilan:

“Great to speak to this stellar group of pioneering women journalists and hope they get many commission from editors far and wide.”

The team is hosted by Dalsan Media Group at its offices in Mogadishu, but is fully independent with complete editorial control. Bilan journalists decide what they will cover, when they will cover it and how. For the first time in Somalia, women are in charge of the story.

Bilan’s six women journalists come from across Somalia and bring a wealth of media experience to the table, along with a passion for women’s rights, fair reporting and journalistic integrity. Bilan also runs an internship programme to help women journalism graduates get their careers started.

Since launching in 2022, Bilan has become a household name in Somalia and been nominated for both the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award and the Nuremberg Human Rights Award. Now they are expanding operations beyond Mogadishu to support other women journalists in the Federal Member States while continuing to raise the bar for reporting quality across the country as a whole.

 

“Even though I am young, I am ready to leave my family in Baidoa and move to Mogadishu to work for Bilan. I want to highlight the problems women face in my region, especially in terms of political representation.”

  • Shukri Mohamed Abdi, Bilan reporter

HOW BILAN WORKS

Editorial authority |

Training and mentoring |

Global partnerships |

Editorial authority | Training and mentoring | Global partnerships |

  • Local influence, global reach

    As well as reaching millions at home, Bilan’s stories are regularly commissioned by top-tier international outlets covering topics ranging from climate change and forced displacement to Somalis living with HIV and albinism and women farmers funding themselves through university.

    These stories deepen understanding of Somalia, make sure that more of Somalia’s news is told by local voices and also prove that Somali women journalists can compete at the highest levels of journalism, overturning deeply held stereotypes and blazing a trail for more women reporters.

ITV’s Rageh Omaar on Bilan:

“Thanks for having me do a masterclass for Team Bilan. More excellent women journalists, covering stories affecting women in the whole region is exactly what's needed.”

  • Passing on skills from the best in the business

    Bilan is funded by the European Union through UNDP’s Somali Women Media Project, which provides equipment, training, networking and a mentoring programme with some of the biggest names in journalism, including the BBC’s Lyse Doucet and Mishal Husain; ITV’s Rageh Omaar; Channel 4’s Lyndsey Hilsum; and Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow.

    Bilan also runs an internship programme for women journalism students and recent graduates to help pass on skills to women who are just starting out. Those who pass a competitive interview spend six months working with Bilan at their offices in Mogadishu.