It’s dangerous being a female journalist in Somalia. But, one year on, we are still shining our light | Fathi Mohamed Ahmed

Since Bilan, the country's only all-women media house, was born last April, we've covered everything from HIV to opioids. Now we want to go global

Being a journalist in Somalia is a dangerous business, especially if you are a woman. More so if you want to cover taboo topics. But that is not going to stop me or any of my colleagues at Bilan, the country's only all-female media house, which celebrates its first birthday on Tuesday. After all, Bilan is a Somali word that means shining a light".

One of the most difficult subjects I have tackled is female drug addiction in Somalia. I decided to do so after a 22-year-old social media influencer was found dead from a suspected opioid overdose on the streets of Mogadishu. Nobody wanted to talk about the increasing numbers of young women injecting drugs and popping pills because it was seen as shameful for the whole society.