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Somali-born boxer Ramla Ali has spent her life fighting — first for safety, then for opportunity, and now for change. After escaping Somalia’s civil war as a child, she grew up with the weight of loss and displacement. Her family fled after her brother was killed, spending a year in Kenya before settling in London. There, Ali discovered boxing as a shy teenager trying to escape bullying. What began as a place to build confidence soon became her passion and career.
Ali’s rise in the sport was remarkable. She earned national titles in England and Great Britain and won the 2019 African Zone Featherweight Crown. In 2020, she made history as the first boxer to represent Somalia at the Olympics, becoming a symbol of strength and possibility for young girls everywhere. She has often said that visibility matters: if others can see her succeed, they can believe in their own dreams too.
Her journey recently came full circle when she returned to Kenya with UNICEF and the Danish Refugee Council. Visiting communities in Nairobi’s Dandora and Eastleigh neighborhoods and later the vast Dadaab refugee camp, Ali met girls, mothers, and educators who continue to push forward despite limited resources and shrinking humanitarian aid. She described the experience as emotional, knowing that her life could have easily looked like theirs if her family had never left Kenya.
At a women-led recycling group in Dandora, she joined refugee mothers sorting and weighing plastic and cardboard—work that helps them earn a living while their children access informal education and childcare. Ali said seeing their daily struggles was humbling and heartbreaking, especially as she imagined her own mother in the same situation had circumstances been different.
In Dadaab, Ali visited FilmAid Kenya, a program that teaches filmmaking and storytelling to young refugees. She shared her life story with students who dream of becoming doctors, nurses, and even film directors. One 15-year-old girl told Ali that before joining FilmAid she had never touched a camera, but now confidently sees a future in directing. For Ali, these moments showed how a single opportunity can completely change a young person’s sense of possibility.
But she worries deeply about the future of such programs. With global aid cuts threatening classrooms, training centers, and safe spaces for children, she fears that many of these dreams could disappear before they have a chance to grow. She believes these initiatives are essential — they provide hope, skills, and a reason for young people to believe in a better tomorrow.
Giving back has long been part of Ali’s mission. As a UNICEF ambassador since 2018, she has supported education and gender equality programs in vulnerable communities. She also founded the Ramla Ali Sisters Club, which began as a single free boxing class and has expanded to multiple cities in the United Kingdom and the United States. The club provides a safe, supportive space for women who may feel excluded from sports, including domestic abuse survivors, Muslim women seeking women-only environments, and those with limited financial resources. Ali says that even at her busiest, she wanted to offer something meaningful to women who had nowhere else to go.
Standing once again on Kenyan soil, where she lived as a displaced child, Ali reflected on how far life has taken her and how many people still need support. She hopes her story can inspire at least one girl in a camp, reminding her that her dreams are valid and achievable. For Ali, true strength isn’t just about winning fights in the ring — it’s about lifting others along the way and using her platform to open doors for those who need it most.