The Somali women can improve their quality of living and increase their standing in society given the opportunity to be involved in the decision-making process and from assuming political positions. Chances of education are limited for women in this patriarchal society, subsequently women have less opportunities compared to men regarding their contribution in decision making positions and women do not have sufficient representation, be it social or political.

70% of women are represented in the government 3% of women in Puntland Parliament to 2019. Moreover, building and developing capacity is required in order to support women to increase their social and political engagement.

• Empowering Women in Society
SWDF in cooperation with international partners implemented the Empowering Women in Society Projects, those aims to empower women and increase their self-confidence so that they are able to take effective steps forward in contributing to the decision-making process within the family and society. It was a successful programmes which was implemented in different areas of Puntland State of Somalia, enabling vulnerable women to make basic decisions to enhance their quality of life and social status.

• Promoting Political Engagement of Women
To ensure political involvement of women, the women’s quota was introduced in Parliament, establishing that women will have 30% participation percentage of the parliamentary seats, according to the Somali Constitution of 2012. The women who were elected to participate in the federal and local government have very limited capacity and therefore are prevented from effective participation in the decision-making process. SWDF implemented many training workshops for women to develop their skills and ameliorate their knowledge in order to participate in the political process, hold campaigns and occupy political positions. SWDF has also contributed to exalting the capacity of specific women government actors. In particular, supporting its development of sound strategic plans to improve women’s performance and work.

• Supporting Women’s Rights
SWDF worked on ensuring the ideal implementation of laws and charters concerning women’s rights by the Somali government. The Foundation focused on the enactment of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 in Somalia concerning the situation of women and girls, during, and post conflict. 

The Resolution also calls for increasing women’s participation generally in security, peacebuilding, and the decision-making process. SWDF performed a unique and innovative role in making national plans for the roll out of the Resolution; it also contributed in activating the ideal enactment of these plans through its enormous efforts in raising awareness among the workforce in the following government sectors: security, health and education. 

The SWDF also focused on increasing their ability to respond to women’s issues by training them on UNSCR 1325, later resolutions, national plan, and emergency plan. The Foundation trained them on monitoring and documentation mechanisms and report writing. It then taught workers about the indicators of measuring advancement, measuring performance, follow-up and evaluation tools, accountability and justice mechanisms in order to determine points of strength and weaknesses and analyzing the lessons gained, therefore ensuring the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Somalia.

• Empowering SWDF Staff
SWDF employs mostly women, preferably young in age so that they have the opportunity to make the greatest advancements and impact with their future careers. SWDF devotes its efforts to building the capacity of its staff and to ensure that the Association meets the highest level of standards, it holds regular training workshops in its HQ. 

These trainings raise awareness of its staff and provide them with the foundation to grow so that they can become strong female leaders, not just within the foundation, but in society as a whole.