“Bilan”, Somalia’s first all-women media team, is revolutionising the media landscape, providing women with a safe space to work and the power to choose what they report and how they cover it.

The team reports a mix of hard news and in-depth features, with reports distributed locally on Dalsan and internationally through outlets including the Guardian, the BBC, El Pais, Missing Perspectives and the Toronto Star.

With its unique perspective and access to women’s lives and opinions, Bilan is breaking new ground not just for women journalists but also for Somali journalism. They are shining a light on stories that have long been ignored, from domestic violence and women prisoners to pay inequality and child-age mothers. Recent reports on HIV/AIDS, albinism, autism and menstrual hygiene education in schools have spurred public debate and calls for policy change.

Bilan is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which provides funding, equipment and a mentoring programme with some of the biggest names in journalism, including the BBC’s Lyse Doucet and Mishal Husain; ITV’s Rageh Omaar; Channel 4’s Lyndsey Hilsum; and Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow.