Image caption Aamin now has a fleet of 20 ambulances/Getty Images

'No government funding'

Aamin Ambulance helped in the wake of the October 2017 attack in which more than 580 people died. GETTY IMAGES

'Somalis are very generous people'

But Dr Adan has been able to attract some backing from the United Nations.

"WHO [the World Health Organization] bought us two cars. UNDP donated some walkie-talkies," the 45-year-old says.

"We bought second-hand ambulances from Dubai and had them delivered here. Recently, the British embassy in Mogadishu organised a half-marathon to raise funds for our service.

Raising money can be hard work, as is dealing with the city authorities which recently banned Aamin Ambulance from attending blast scenes.

The crux of the problem seemed to be the government's sensitivity about casualty figures from bombings carried out by Islamist militants - Aamin Ambulance often keeps journalists up-to-date about what its paramedics have witnessed using social media.


The ban infuriated some when it was reported last week on the BBC Somali Service's Facebook page, who deplored the government for "stopping aid".

But Dr Adan tried to play down the friction.

"I spoke to the police commissioner, who rescinded the ban but he told us to let them know when we are attending to an emergency. We are not allowed to talk to the media or talk about the body count."

While a spokesman for the regional authority, Salah Hassan Omar, told the BBC it had all been a misunderstanding and was more about "how to best work together".

For Dr Adan, such headaches can be overcome as he is heartened by the generosity he has experienced since starting the ambulance service.

"Every person in this life has a purpose and the most valuable thing for me is human life. That is my driving force," he says.


 Operators are on hand 18 hours a day to take calls and dispatch the ambulances 

"Somalis are very generous people, even when they have nothing. Our country has been in turmoil for 30 years and it is only active because of money sent from abroad.

"Our country has been running on the generosity and goodwill of Somalis in the diaspora for decades.

"Aamin is almost a joint community effort - we have had to take the reins for the well-being of our fellow Somalis."
'We're not political'

Although Mogadishu has been in the news for bombings carried out by the militant group al-Shabab, Aamin Ambulance service is not solely borne out of the need to attend to these types of attacks.

Mr Adan says the ambulances go where they are needed, whether it is to attend to a small child, a woman going into labour or an old person in need of assistance.

"Anything really and anyone who needs our help - we have paramedics and nurses ready," he says.

For the future, Dr Adan envisions a Somalia where nobody needs to die because they are unable to get help in time.

He would like to see Aamin Ambulance expand to cover the whole country.

It may seem like an unlikely vision as al-Shabab still controls most rural areas - but Dr Adan is nothing if not determined.

And al-Shabab, known for demanding protection money from many Somali businesses - even in Mogadishu from where it was expelled in 2011, does not seem to hassle Aamin Ambulance.

"We're not a business, we're not making a profit and we're not political. I can't possibly see what al-Shabab would want with us," says Dr Adan.

By Naima Mohamud