Vision
We want to be a capable, lasting institute that helps Somali women become economically independent.
Started by Somali women, for Somali women
Ruweyda Technical Vocational Training Institute (RTVTI) was founded in 2016 by a group of Somali women who were worried about how many women in their communities lived in poverty. It trains women in skills that local markets need, so they can earn a living and build better economic lives.
Fish NetsTechnical trades course
Organizations that work with RTVTI
Partner with RTVTI
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
COOPI, Cooperazione Internazionale
UNICEF
Somali women started RTVTI at the grassroots in 2016. Today its work reaches across the country.
2016
The beginning
A group of Somali women, worried about poverty among women in their communities, started RTVTI from the grassroots.
9 skills
Training for local markets
We teach nine skills, each chosen because local markets need it, so women can earn a living from what they learn.
Rights
Community and awareness
We speak up for women's social and economic rights, and run awareness work on reproductive health and on the harm FGM does.
Next
Where we are going
We plan to open branches and associations across the country, and to build a regional and international network for Somali women.
Her story
She was told the ocean was not hers. She made it home.
Since 2013, Sagal Abdirizak has worked to open Somalia's maritime sector to women, in policy, in training and in the communities along the coast.
Sagal AbdirizakWomen in Maritime Award 2025
“There was a girl who once wrote me a letter. She lived in a coastal village and dreamed of working at the port. She watched ships come and go and imagined herself there. However, her family said no. Her community said no.”
Eventually, the girl gave up on her dream.
“I never even met her, but I remember every word. That is who I fight for. So, no girl has to bury her dream to please someone else's fear.”
2013
The work begins
Sagal starts advancing gender equality in maritime policy, training and community engagement.
2019
A national plan
She helps lead the development of Somalia's Women in Maritime Sector (WiMS) National Action Plan, the first of its kind.
2023
The plan launches
On 15 March 2023 the plan is launched: a national commitment to women as technical experts, managers and decision-makers.
2025
National recognition
On 18 May 2025 she is honoured for her contributions to gender inclusion in the maritime sector.
Skills to live with dignity
Sagal, a certified teacher, trained women displaced by conflict, drought and climate shocks. Alongside the practical skills, she taught how to stay safe in crowded places, how to resist early or forced marriage, and how to plan for a future not shaped by exploitation.
- Essential oils
- Henna
- Shampoo
- Sewing
- Dyeing Somali dresses
- Growing herbs to sell
The same skills RTVTI teaches today.
“We equipped them with vocational skills not just to survive, but to live with dignity.”
“Some of my students have now opened their own beauty salons. They are independent. They are proud. Moreover, I am proud of them.”
“I do not want to be the only woman in the room. I want to hold the door open so others can walk through without fear.”
Story by the UNODC Border Management Branch
RTVTI started at the grassroots and works across Somalia.
We work close to local communities all over the country, in towns and in rural areas.
- Founded
- 2016
- Skills taught
- 9
- Scope
- National
RTVTI says it has a good relationship with local government, including the authorities in Mogadishu and its districts.
Mission
We train women in skills that local markets need, so they have better social and economic choices in their lives.
What we do now, and what we plan next
What we work to do
Bring communities together at the grassroots to support Somali women.
Encourage self-reliance and peaceful coexistence, and help marginalized communities find their place again.
Open, equip and run branches and associations across the country.
What we plan to do
Hold a yearly summit or conference on how skills training improves Somali women's economic and social lives.
Work with communities to start open conversations about supporting marginalized groups, women among them.
Serve people affected by the civil conflict, especially women who have been neglected or pushed to the margins.
Offer practical alternatives that change the economic, social and political conditions marginalized women live in, in towns and in the countryside.
Our four objectives
Promote and support the social and economic empowerment of Somali women.
Organize events that make the case for women's social, economic and political rights.
Organize, prepare for and take part in consultative forums on skills training.
Build a regional and international network that works for the economic empowerment of Somali women.
Who we serve
We work with women affected by the civil conflict, and with women who have been neglected or marginalized, in towns and in rural areas.
- Women affected by the conflict
- Neglected women
- Marginalized women
- Towns and rural areas
More than training
Training is the main work, but not the only work. RTVTI speaks up for women's social and economic rights, and from time to time runs awareness sessions on reproductive health, including child spacing, and on the harm Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) does to women's health.
- Women's social and economic rights
- Reproductive health and child spacing
- The harm FGM does to women's health
Where we are going
Open, equip and run branches and associations across the country.
Build a regional and international network that works for the economic empowerment of Somali women.
Questions people ask us
What is RTVTI?
Ruweyda Technical Vocational Training Institute (RTVTI) was founded in 2016 by a group of Somali women who were worried about how many women in their communities lived in poverty. It trains women in skills that local markets need, so they can earn a living and build better economic lives.
When was RTVTI founded?
In 2016.
Who founded it?
A group of Somali women from the grassroots.
What does RTVTI teach?
Nine skills: tie and dye, beauty salon (henna and make-up), tailoring, plumbing, fish nets, packaging, decorations, charcoal making, and homemade shampoo and soap.
Who is the training for?
Mostly Somali women, including women affected by the conflict and women from marginalized groups.
- Beauty Salon
- Tailoring
- Tie and Dye
- Plumbing
- Fish Nets
- Packaging
- Decorations
- Charcoal Making
- Homemade Shampoo and Soap