Could Fadumo Dayib become Somalia's first female president?
» The Current's The Disruptors
Fadumo Dayib's life has been marked by transition. She was born to displaced Somali parents in Kenya.
In her lifetime she has been a refugee, a nurse, a public health expert, an activist, a PhD candidate and a mother.
"I believe my life is a vocational calling," she tells The Current's guest host Piya Chattopadhyay.
Dayib is an unlikely candidate.
Deported from Kenya back to Somalia as a teenager, Dayib lived there until she was forced to flee the civil war. She has lived in Helsinki, Finland, on and off for 26 years, but has helped transform her homeland from a failed state into the vibrant democracy she dreams of.
"It is a civic duty. It is a moral obligation for us to help people who are in a weaker position, people who are suffering," says Dayib.
"Doing nothing means you're also guilty and you're part of the problem."
Dayib faces many obstacles, not least of which are the daily death threats she receives for putting herself in the running to lead the country.
She tells Chattopadhyay the electoral system is "holding the country hostage," and dismantling that power structure is one of her platform points, along with ending female genital mutilation and imposing a zero-tolerance policy on corruption. She says she has also opened the door to beginning a dialogue with the al-Shabaab militant group, on the condition that they first disarm.
I am one of those people who will never be silenced.- Fadumo Dayib
Dayib recognizes her odds of winning are slim.
"I think the prospects of anyone who wants to actually do justice, who wants to move the country forward constructively...their prospect is actually very, very low."
But she has vowed to continue fighting for a better Somalia.
"I am one of those people who will never be silenced," says Dayib.
"I believe dialogue, reconciliation, peace, respect, upholding the constitution, respecting the rule of law — these to be really the key to peace and prosperity inside the country."
Listen to the full conversation at the top of this web post.
This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar.