Ifrah Ahmed


Ifrah Ahmed is a Somali-Irish social activist. She is the founder of the United Youth of Ireland non-governmental organization and the Ifrah Foundation.

Career

Ahmed was born in Somalia. In 2006, Ahmed left Mogadishu at the age of 17 after war broke out. She evaded traffickers and was granted refugee status in Ireland in 2006. Ahmed established the United Youth of Ireland, an NGO for young immigrants, and the Ifrah Foundation, which is devoted to eliminating Female Genital Mutilation. Since 2016, she is Gender Advisor to the Prime Minister of Somalia
In 2010, Ahmed established the United Youth of Ireland. The non-governmental organization provides support to young immigrants in their business, artistic and creative pursuits. Through Ahmed's Foundation, she continues to advocate for the eradication of FGM in her native Somalia. Her work includes raising awareness through producing media content to highlight the negative impact of FGM. In July 2018, in collaboration with the , Ahmed produced a short documentary on the death of 10 year old girl due to complication resulting from
Additionally, Ahmed has been involved in organizing various events, workshops, fundraisers and seminars. In 2014, she was also a guest speaker in support of the documentary Girl Rising by Richard E. Robbins. The showcase was part of the Development Film Series held at the University College Dublin. Ifrah Foundation has partnered on impactful projects with international NGOs, and has formed strategic partnerships with governmental agencies on policy and legislation. Her focus over the past four years has been to deliver programs in Somalia providing evidence-based results that inform Ifrah Foundation’s scoping of its proposed national action plan for the abandonment of FGM/C in Somalia.
Ahmed was awarded with a People of the Year Award in 2018 for her work.

Media portrayal

A biopic about Ahmed, A Girl from Mogadishu, starring Aja Naomi King and Barkhad Abdi was in production, shooting in Ireland and Morocco and premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in Scotland.