Higsi Foundation is a Somali non-governmental organisation dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through education, leadership development, sports, and community empowerment across Somalia and the Horn of Africa. Founded in 2023, registered in Somalia, and led by Somalis.
The name Higsi is the Somali act of rising, building, and reaching upward with purpose. That is the spirit we cultivate in every young person, every woman, and every community we work alongside.
A future where every Somali youth has the opportunity to excel, lead, and contribute positively to society — where potential is determined not by circumstances, but by talent, determination, and effort supported by the right education, mentorship, and opportunity.
To inspire excellence and create opportunities through education, leadership, sports, and community empowerment. To inspire is to ignite something internal. Excellence is the sustained pursuit of better. Opportunities are specific and tangible — a place in a learning hub, a coaching qualification, a mentoring relationship. Empowerment is the measure of it all.
We hold ourselves to the same standard we inspire in others — consistently reviewing, learning, and improving.
We say what we mean and do what we say — including reporting failures and the lessons we draw from them.
We bring an entrepreneurial, solutions-focused mindset to development — piloting, experimenting, learning.
We begin by asking who is most excluded and ensure those individuals are centred in our response.
We build leaders at every level — from youth discovering their voice to programme managers.
Our communities come first. We offer our expertise in service of community-defined needs, never in place of them.
Our founder and team are not development professionals who learned about Somalia from outside — they are part of it. Communities trust Higsi Foundation because we share their culture, language, history, and investment in Somalia's future.
12+ years working with individuals, communities and NGOs across Somalia, Somaliland, Puntland and the Horn of Africa — bringing deep local knowledge and trusted relationships no external organisation can match.
Every programme, resource, and communication is designed in English and Somali from the outset — including our book Coaching for Impact: From Grassroots to Greatness.
Before Higsi Foundation came to our community, my son had no direction. Now he trains every morning, studies in the afternoons, and talks about becoming a coach himself. The change in him is something I never expected to see so quickly.