ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Hawa Abdi + Dr. Deqo Mohamed - Somali doctors who treat women refugees
Dr. Hawa Abdi and her daughters, Dr. Deqo Mohamed and Dr. Amina Mohamed, treat Somali refugee women and children, often for free.

Why you should listen

Dr. Hawa Abdi is an OB/GYN (and a lawyer) who lives and works in Somalia with her daughters, also doctors, Dr. Amina Mohamed and Dr. Dr. Deqo Mohamed. In 1983, she opened a small clinic in Somalia -- which became a refuge as Somalia devolved into civil war. Her one-room clinic has grown to encompass a hospital, a school and a refugee camp for some 90,000 women and children, she estimates, who were displaced by war.

In 2010, Glamour named Dr. Abdi and her daughters "Women of the Year," and called them the "Saints of Somalia." Nicholas Kristoff wrote a stirring tribute to her work titled "Heroic, Female and Muslim." And she works largely on her own; as Glamour notes: "While Dr. Abdi has gotten some help, many charities refuse to enter Somalia. 'It’s the most dangerous country,' says Kati Marton, a board member of Human Rights Watch. 'Dr. Abdi is just about the only one doing anything.'"

More profile about the speaker
Dr. Hawa Abdi + Dr. Deqo Mohamed | Speaker | TED.com
TEDWomen 2010

Hawa Abdi + Deqo Mohamed: Mother and daughter doctor-heroes

Majka i kći doktori-heroji: Hawa Abdi + Deqo Mohamed

Filmed:
457,143 views

Nazivaju ih "Svetice Somalije". Doktorica Hawa Abdi i njezina kćer Deqo Mohamed raspravljaju o svojoj medicinskoj klinici u Somaliji, gdje -- unatoč građanskom ratu i otvorenom tlačenju ženu -- su one izgradile bolnicu, školu i zajednicu mira.
- Somali doctors who treat women refugees
Dr. Hawa Abdi and her daughters, Dr. Deqo Mohamed and Dr. Amina Mohamed, treat Somali refugee women and children, often for free. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:16
HawaVlasta AbdiAračić: ManyMnogi people -- 20 yearsgodina for SomaliaSomalija --
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Hawa Abdi: Puno ljudi -- 20 godina za Somaliju --
00:19
[were] fightingborba.
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[se] borilo.
00:21
So there was no jobposao, no foodhrana.
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Tako da nije bilo posla, hrane.
00:25
ChildrenDjeca, mostnajviše of them,
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Djeca, većina njih,
00:27
becamepostao very malnourishedpothranjeni, like this.
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su postala jako slabo ishranjena, poput ovoga.
00:31
DeqoDeqo MohamedMohamed: So as you know,
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Deqo Mohamed: Kao što znate,
00:33
always in a civilgrađanski warrat,
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uvijek u građanskom ratu,
00:35
the onesone affectedpogođeni mostnajviše [are] the womenžene and childrendjeca.
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oni koji su najviše pogođeni [su] žene i djeca.
00:38
So our patientspacijenti are womenžene and childrendjeca.
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Tako su naši pacijenti žene i djeca.
00:41
And they are in our backyarddvorište iza kuće.
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I oni su u našem dvorištu.
00:43
It's our home. We welcomeDobrodošli them.
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To je naš dom; mi im upućujemo dobrodošlicu.
00:45
That's the campkamp that we have in now
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Ovo je kamp u kojem sada imamo
00:48
90,000 people,
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90.000 ljudi
00:50
where 75 percentposto of them are womenžene and childrendjeca.
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od kojih su 75 posto žene i djeca.
00:53
PatPat MitchellMitchell: And this is your hospitalbolnica. This is the insideiznutra.
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Pat Mitchell: A ovo je vaša bolnica. Ovo je unutra.
00:55
HAHA: We are doing C-sectionsC-profili and differentdrugačiji operationsoperacije
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HA: Izvodimo carski rez i razne druge operacije
00:58
because people need some help.
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jer je ljudima potrebna pomoć.
01:01
There is no governmentvlada to protectzaštititi them.
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Nema vlade koja bi ih zaštitila.
01:04
DMDM: EverySvaki morningjutro we have about 400 patientspacijenti,
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DM: Svakog jutra imamo oko 400 pacijenata,
01:07
maybe more or lessmanje.
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nekada više ili manje.
01:09
But sometimesponekad we are only fivepet doctorsliječnici
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Ali ponekad imamo samo pet doktora
01:12
and 16 nursesmedicinske sestre,
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i 16 medicinskih sestara,
01:14
and we are physicallytjelesno gettinguzimajući exhaustediscrpljen to see all of them.
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i fizički se iscrpimo dok ih sve pregledamo.
01:18
But we take the severeozbiljan onesone,
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Ali uzimamo one najozbiljnije,
01:20
and we rescheduleponovno planiranje the other onesone the nextSljedeći day.
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a druge prebacimo na drugi dan.
01:23
It is very toughtvrd.
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To je jako teško.
01:25
And as you can see, it's the womenžene who are carryingnošenje the childrendjeca;
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I kao što možete vidjeti, to su žene koje nose djecu,
01:28
it's the womenžene who come into the hospitalsbolnice;
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to su žene koje dolaze u bolnicu,
01:30
it's the womenžene [are] buildingzgrada the houseskuća.
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to su žene koje grade kuće.
01:32
That's theirnjihov housekuća.
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To je njihova kuća.
01:34
And we have a schoolškola. This is our brightsvijetao --
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I imamo školu. Ovo je naš svjetli --
01:37
we openedotvori [in the] last two yearsgodina [an] elementaryosnovni schoolškola
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otvorili smo [u] posljednje dvije godine osnovnu školu
01:40
where we have 850 childrendjeca,
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gdje imamo 850 djece,
01:43
and the majorityvećina are womenžene and girlsdjevojke.
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i većina su žene i curice.
01:45
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
01:51
PMPM: And the doctorsliječnici have some very bigvelika rulespravila
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PM: A doktori imaju neka jako velika pravila
01:54
about who can get treatedliječi at the clinicKlinika.
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o tome tko se može liječiti u klinici.
01:56
Would you explainobjasniti the rulespravila for admissionprijem?
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Hoćeš li objasniti pravila za upis?
01:59
HAHA: The people who are comingdolazak to us,
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HA: Ljudi koji nam dolaze,
02:01
we are welcomingPozdravljajući.
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su dobrodošli.
02:03
We are sharingdijeljenje with them
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Dijelimo s njima
02:05
whateveršto god we have.
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štogod imamo.
02:07
But there are only two rulespravila.
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Ali postoje samo dva pravila.
02:09
First rulepravilo:
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Prvo pravilo:
02:11
there is no clanklana distinguishedrazlikuje and politicalpolitički divisionpodjela
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nema klanskog prepoznavanja i političkih podjela
02:14
in SomaliSomalijski societydruštvo.
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u somalijskom društvu.
02:17
[WhomeverKoga god] makesmarke those things we throwbacanje out.
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[Tkogod] pokuša raditi te stvari biva izbaćen.
02:20
The seconddrugi:
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Drugo:
02:22
no man can beatpobijediti his wifežena.
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niti jedan muškarac ne smije tući svoju ženu.
02:24
If he beatpobijediti,
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Ako je istuće,
02:26
we will put [him] in jailzatvor,
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staviti ćemo [ga] u zatvor,
02:28
and we will call the eldestnajstariji people.
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i pozvati ćemo starješine.
02:31
UntilDo they identifyidentificirati this casespis,
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Dok oni ne sagledaju sve dokaze,
02:34
we'lldobro never releasepuštanje him.
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mi ga nećemo pustiti.
02:36
That's our two rulespravila.
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To su naša dva pravila.
02:38
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
02:43
The other thing that I have realizedshvatio,
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Druga stvar koju sam shvatila,
02:46
that the womanžena is the mostnajviše strongjak personosoba
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da su žene najsnažnija stvorenja
02:49
all over the worldsvijet.
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na cijelom svijetu.
02:51
Because the last 20 yearsgodina,
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Jer zadnjih 20 godina,
02:53
the SomaliSomalijski womanžena has stoodstajao up.
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somalijska žena je ustala.
02:56
They were the leadersčelnici,
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Bile su vođe,
02:58
and we are the leadersčelnici
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a mi smo vođe
03:00
of our communityzajednica
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naše zajedince
03:02
and the hopenada of our futurebudućnost generationsgeneracije.
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i nada za buduće generacije.
03:04
We are not just the helplessbespomoćni
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Mi nismo bespomoćne
03:06
and the victimsžrtve of the civilgrađanski warrat.
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i žrtve građanskog rata.
03:08
We can reconcilepomiriti.
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Možemo se izmiriti.
03:10
We can do everything.
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Možemo učiniti sve.
03:12
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
03:18
DMDM: As my mothermajka said, we are the futurebudućnost hopenada,
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DM: Kao što je moja majka rekla, mi smo nada za budućnost,
03:20
and the menmuškarci are only killingubijanje in SomaliaSomalija.
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a u Somaliji ubijaju samo muškarci.
03:23
So we camedošao up with these two rulespravila.
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Tako smo došle do ta dva pravila.
03:25
In a campkamp with 90,000 people,
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U kampu s 90.000 ljudi,
03:27
you have to come up with some rulespravila or there is going to be some fightsborbe.
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morate uspostaviti neka pravila ili ćete imati sukobe.
03:30
So there is no clanklana divisionpodjela,
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Tako nema klanskih podjela,
03:32
and no man can beatpobijediti his wifežena.
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i niti jedan muškarac ne smije istući svoju ženu.
03:34
And we have a little storageskladištenje roomsoba
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I imamo malo spremište
03:36
where we convertedpretvoriti a jailzatvor.
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koje pretvaramo po potrebi u zatvor.
03:38
So if you beatpobijediti your wifežena, you're going to be there.
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Dakle ako istućete svoju ženu, završiti ćete tamo.
03:40
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
03:42
So empoweringOsnaživanje the womenžene and givingdavanje the opportunityprilika --
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Osnaživanjem žena i davanjem mogućnosti --
03:45
we are there for them. They are not alonesam for this.
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mi smo tamo za njih; one nisu same u tome.
03:49
PMPM: You're runningtrčanje a medicalmedicinski clinicKlinika.
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PM: Vi vodite medicinsku kliniku.
03:51
It broughtdonio much, much neededpotreban medicalmedicinski carebriga
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To je donijelo jako, jako potrebitu medicinsku brigu
03:54
to people who wouldn'tne bi get it.
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ljudima koji nisu mogli do nje doći.
03:56
You're alsotakođer runningtrčanje a civilgrađanski societydruštvo.
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Vi također vodite civilno društvo.
03:58
You've createdstvorio your ownvlastiti rulespravila,
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Stvorili ste vlastita pravila,
04:00
in whichkoji womenžene and childrendjeca
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u kojima žene i djeca
04:02
are gettinguzimajući a differentdrugačiji senseosjećaj of securitysigurnosti.
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dobivaju drugačiji osjećaj sigurnosti.
04:05
Talk to me about your decisionodluka, DrDr. AbdiAračić,
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Recite mi nešto o svojoj odluci, Dr. Abdi,
04:08
and your decisionodluka, DrDr. MohamedMohamed,
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i vašoj odluci, Dr. Mohamed,
04:10
to work togetherzajedno --
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da radite zajedno --
04:12
for you to becomepostati a doctorliječnik
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kako ste postali doktorica
04:14
and to work with your mothermajka in these circumstancesokolnosti.
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i započeli raditi s majkom u tim okolnostima.
04:17
HAHA: My agedob --
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HA: Moje godine --
04:19
because I was bornrođen in 1947 --
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jer ja sam rođena 1947. --
04:22
we were havingima, at that time,
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u to vrijeme smo imali,
04:24
governmentvlada, lawzakon and ordernarudžba.
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vladu, zakone i red.
04:28
But one day, I wentotišao to the hospitalbolnica --
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Ali jednog dana, otišla sam u bolnicu --
04:31
my mothermajka was sickbolestan --
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moja majka je bila bolesna --
04:33
and I saw the hospitalbolnica, how they [were] treatingtretiranje the doctorsliječnici,
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a ja sam vidjela bolnicu, kako [su] oni tretirali doktore,
04:36
how they [are] committedpredan
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kako [su] bili predani
04:38
to help the sickbolestan people.
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pomoći bolesnim ljudima.
04:41
I admiredcijenjen them,
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Divila sam im se,
04:43
and I decidedodlučio to becomepostati a doctorliječnik.
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i odlučila sam da ću postati doktoricom.
04:45
My mothermajka diedumro, unfortunatelynažalost,
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Moja majka je umrla, na nesreću,
04:47
when I was 12 yearsgodina [oldstar].
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kada sam bila 12 godina [stara].
04:49
Then my fatherotac alloweddopušteno me
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Onda mi je otac dopustio
04:53
to proceedpostupiti [with] my hopenada.
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da nastavim [sa] svojom nadom.
04:56
My mothermajka diedumro
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Moja majka je umrla
04:58
in [a] gynecologyGinekologija complicationkomplikacija,
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uslijed ginekološke komplikacije,
05:00
so I decidedodlučio to becomepostati
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tako sam ja odlučila postati
05:02
a gynecologyGinekologija specialistspecijalista.
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ginekološki specijalist.
05:05
That's why I becamepostao a doctorliječnik.
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To je razlog zašto sam postala doktoricom.
05:08
So DrDr. DeqoDeqo has to explainobjasniti.
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Tako će i Dr. Deqo objasniti.
05:11
DMDM: For me, my mothermajka was preparingpripremi [me] when I was a childdijete
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DM: Za mene, moja majka [me] pripremala dok sam bila dijete
05:14
to becomepostati a doctorliječnik, but I really didn't want to.
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da postanem doktoricom, ali ja to stvarno nisam željela.
05:17
Maybe I should becomepostati an historianpovjesničar,
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Možda bih trebala postati povjesničarkom,
05:19
or maybe a reporterreporter.
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ili možda reporterka.
05:21
I lovedvoljen it, but it didn't work.
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Voljela sam to, ali nije išlo.
05:23
When the warrat brokerazbio out -- civilgrađanski warrat --
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Kada je izbio rat -- građanski rat --
05:25
I saw how my mothermajka was helpingpomoć
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vidjela sam kako moja majka pomaže
05:27
and how she really neededpotreban the help,
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i kako je njoj stvarno potrebna pomoć,
05:29
and how the carebriga is essentialosnovni to the womanžena
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i kako je briga nužna za ženu
05:32
to be a womanžena doctorliječnik in SomaliaSomalija
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da postane doktoricom u Somaliji
05:34
and help the womenžene and childrendjeca.
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i pomaže ženama i djeci.
05:36
And I thought, maybe I can be a reporterreporter and doctorliječnik gynecologistginekolog.
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I pomislila sam, možda mogu biti reporterka i ginekologica.
05:39
(LaughterSmijeh)
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(Smijeh)
05:41
So I wentotišao to RussiaRusija, and my mothermajka alsotakođer,
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Tako sam otišla u Rusiju, i moja mama isto,
05:43
[duringza vrijeme the] time of [the] SovietSovjetski UnionUnije.
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[za] vrijeme Sovjetskog Saveza.
05:45
So some of our characterlik,
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Dakle dio našeg karaktera,
05:48
maybe we will come with a strongjak SovietSovjetski backgroundpozadina of trainingtrening.
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možda dolazi uslijed snažnog sovjetskog treninga.
05:52
So that's how I decidedodlučio [to do] the sameisti.
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Tako sam ja odlučila [napraviti] istu stvar.
05:54
My sistersestra was differentdrugačiji.
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Moja sestra je drugačija.
05:56
She's here. She's alsotakođer a doctorliječnik.
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Ona je ovdje. Ona je također doktorica.
05:58
She graduateddiplomirao in RussiaRusija alsotakođer.
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Ona je također diplomirala u Rusiji.
06:00
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
06:02
And to go back and to work with our mothermajka
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I vratiti se i raditi s našom majkom
06:04
is just what we saw in the civilgrađanski warrat --
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je ono što smo mi vidjele u građanskom ratu --
06:06
when I was 16, and my sistersestra was 11,
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kada sam imala 16 a moja sestra 11
06:09
when the civilgrađanski warrat brokerazbio out.
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izbio je građanski rat.
06:12
So it was the need and the people we saw
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To je bila potreba a ljudi koje smo vidjeli
06:15
in the earlyrano '90s --
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u ranim 90im,
06:17
that's what madenapravljen us go back
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to je ono što nas je potaknulo da se vratimo nazad
06:19
and work for them.
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i radimo za njih.
06:22
PMPM: So what is the biggestnajveći challengeizazov
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PM: Što je najveći izazov
06:25
workingrad, mothermajka and daughterkći,
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rada, majke i kćeri,
06:27
in suchtakav dangerousopasno
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u takvim opasnim
06:29
and sometimesponekad scaryplašljiv situationssituacije?
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i ponekad zastrašujućim situacijama?
06:31
HAHA: Yes, I was workingrad in a toughtvrd situationsituacija,
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HA: Da, radila sam u teškim uvjetima,
06:35
very dangerousopasno.
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jako opasnim.
06:38
And when I saw the people who neededpotreban me,
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I kada sam vidjela ljude koji me trebaju,
06:41
I was stayingostanak with them to help,
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ostajala bih s njima da im pomognem,
06:43
because I [could] do something for them.
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jer sam [mogla] učiniti nešto za njih.
06:46
MostVećina people fledpobjegao abroadu inozemstvu.
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Većina ljudi je pobjegla u inozemstvo.
06:50
But I remainedostala with those people,
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Ali ja sam ostala s tim ljudima,
06:53
and I was tryingtežak to do something --
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i pokušavala sam nešto učiniti --
06:56
[any] little thing I [could] do.
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[bilo] kakvu malu stvar koju sam mogla napraviti.
06:59
I succeededuspjelo in my placemjesto.
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Uspjela sam u svom mjestu.
07:02
Now my placemjesto is 90,000 people
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Sada moje mjesto ima 90.000 ljudi
07:06
who are respectingpoštujući eachsvaki other,
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koji poštuju jedni druge,
07:08
who are not fightingborba.
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koji se ne sukobljavaju.
07:11
But we try to standstajati on our feetnoge,
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Ali pokušavamo ostati na nogama,
07:15
to do something, little things, we can for our people.
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kako bismo učinili nešto, male stvari koje možemo učiniti za ljude.
07:19
And I'm thankfulzahvalan for my daughterskćeri.
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I ja sam zahvalna na mojim kćerima.
07:22
When they come to me,
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Kada mi dođu,
07:24
they help me to treatliječiti the people,
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pomognu mi liječiti ljude,
07:26
to help.
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zbog pomoći.
07:28
They do everything for them.
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One rade sve za njih.
07:30
They have doneučinio what I desireželja to do for them.
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One su napravile ono što sam od njih željela.
07:34
PMPM: What's the bestnajbolje partdio
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PM: Koji je najbolji dio
07:36
of workingrad with your mothermajka,
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rada sa svojom majkom,
07:38
and the mostnajviše challengingizazovno partdio for you?
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a koji je najizazovniji dio?
07:41
DMDM: She's very toughtvrd; it's mostnajviše challengingizazovno.
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DM: Ona je jako tvrda, to je najizazovnije.
07:44
She always expectsočekuje da će us to do more.
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Uvijek očekuje da napravimo više.
07:47
And really when you think [you] cannotNe možete do it,
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I kada stvarno mislite da nešto ne možete,
07:49
she will pushgurnuti you, and I can do it.
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ona će vas gurnuti, i onda to ostvarite.
07:51
That's the bestnajbolje partdio.
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To je najbolji dio.
07:53
She showspokazuje us, trainsvlakovi us how to do
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Ona nas trenira kako da to napravimo
07:55
and how to be better [people]
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i kako da budemo bolji [ljudi]
07:57
and how to do long hourssati in surgerykirurgija --
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i kako provesti puno sati na operaciji --
07:59
300 patientspacijenti perpo day,
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300 pacijenata dnevno,
08:02
10, 20 surgeriesOperacija,
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10, 20 operacija,
08:04
and still you have to manageupravljati the campkamp --
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i još uvijek trebate upravljati kampom --
08:06
that's how she trainsvlakovi us.
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tako nas ona trenira.
08:09
It is not like beautifullijep officesuredi here,
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Tamo nema lijepih ureda,
08:11
20 patientspacijenti, you're tiredumoran.
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20 pacijenata, vi ste umorni.
08:13
You see 300 patientspacijenti, 20 surgeriesOperacija
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Vidite 300 pacijenata, 20 operacija
08:16
and 90,000 people to manageupravljati.
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i 90.000 ljudi kojima treba upravljati.
08:19
PMPM: But you do it for good reasonsrazlozi.
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PM: Ali to radite iz dobrih razloga.
08:21
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
08:25
Wait. Wait.
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Čekajte. Čekajte.
08:27
HAHA: Thank you.
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HA: Hvala vam.
08:29
DMDM: Thank you.
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DM: Hvala vam.
08:31
(ApplausePljesak)
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(Pljesak)
08:35
HAHA: Thank you very much. DMDM: Thank you very much.
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HA: Hvala vam jako puno. (DM: Hvala vama jako puno.)

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Hawa Abdi + Dr. Deqo Mohamed - Somali doctors who treat women refugees
Dr. Hawa Abdi and her daughters, Dr. Deqo Mohamed and Dr. Amina Mohamed, treat Somali refugee women and children, often for free.

Why you should listen

Dr. Hawa Abdi is an OB/GYN (and a lawyer) who lives and works in Somalia with her daughters, also doctors, Dr. Amina Mohamed and Dr. Dr. Deqo Mohamed. In 1983, she opened a small clinic in Somalia -- which became a refuge as Somalia devolved into civil war. Her one-room clinic has grown to encompass a hospital, a school and a refugee camp for some 90,000 women and children, she estimates, who were displaced by war.

In 2010, Glamour named Dr. Abdi and her daughters "Women of the Year," and called them the "Saints of Somalia." Nicholas Kristoff wrote a stirring tribute to her work titled "Heroic, Female and Muslim." And she works largely on her own; as Glamour notes: "While Dr. Abdi has gotten some help, many charities refuse to enter Somalia. 'It’s the most dangerous country,' says Kati Marton, a board member of Human Rights Watch. 'Dr. Abdi is just about the only one doing anything.'"

More profile about the speaker
Dr. Hawa Abdi + Dr. Deqo Mohamed | Speaker | TED.com