How a Bomb Blast Survivor is Transforming Lives in Mogadishu

Somalia, 23 November 2025 — Inside a modest gym in the heart of Mogadishu, Ali Abdullahi commands attention not because of what he lost, but because of what he has built.

With only one leg, Ali trains bodies stronger than his own. He pushes clients through demanding workouts, corrects their form, and motivates them with a quiet authority that comes from lived experience. For many, he is more than a fitness coach — he is proof that physical limitation does not define human potential.

Ali’s journey began in 2009 when he was still a student. Caught in a deadly explosion in Mogadishu, he lost his leg — and with it, the life he had once known. The blast forced him into a new reality of dependency, pain, and adaptation, including the use of a prosthetic leg that costs over $20,000 and requires up to $11,000 annually in maintenance.

“Imagine walking with a leg where the bolts can loosen on the tarmac at any moment. Imagine having to spend 10 or 11 thousand dollars a year just to service my leg.,” Ali recalled. “I’m forced to work for myself – and to work for my leg.”

Despite the hardship, Ali refused to surrender to despair. In 2019, he made a decision that would redefine his future: he joined a gym.

 What began as a personal journey toward healing soon evolved into a broader mission. He rebuilt not only his body, but also his confidence — and discovered a calling to help others do the same.

Today, the community knows him simply as Coach Ali.

“He lost one of his legs, but now he is a fitness coach for people who have both,” said Sakariye Mohamed Ali, one of his trainees. “For me, disability is not in the body — it’s in the heart.”

Through discipline and persistence, Ali has transformed the lives of countless young people who once believed they could never achieve physical fitness.