What Is Calafdoon? Somali Marriage Groups vs a Reviewed Site

General information. This page describes how people commonly use groups and websites to look for a spouse. We run one of the services we mention, so read it with that in mind. We have not measured how safe or successful any group or service is, and we say nothing about named groups.

What is calafdoon?

Calafdoon is a word Somalis use online in connection with looking for a spouse. It often appears in the names of Somali marriage groups, pages and apps. We have not verified a dictionary definition, and people use it in slightly different ways, so we describe how it is used rather than give an exact meaning. The longer-established Somali word is guurdoon: guur means marriage and doon means to look for (see what is guurdoon). For other words, see the glossary.

How marriage groups work

Somali marriage groups on WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook generally work like this:

• A person posts a short introduction, sometimes with a photo, age, city and what they are looking for.
• Interested people reply in the group or message the poster privately.
• Admins set the rules and decide who may join and what may be posted.

Many people like groups because they are free, familiar and quick, and because they bring a community together. For some, a group is how they first met someone through a relative or friend of a friend.

What to watch for in groups

These are commonly raised concerns, not statements about any particular group:

• No identity checks. Anyone with a link may join, and a profile may not be who it says.
• Photos and numbers travel. Screenshots can be copied and shared outside the group, and a phone number posted in a group can be seen by everyone in it.
• Rules depend on the admins. Some are careful and some are not, and reports may or may not be acted on.
• Pressure to move to a private chat. People sometimes ask to continue elsewhere straight away.
• Money requests. Never send money to someone you have not met and whose family you have not spoken to.
• Mixed intentions. Some members are not looking for marriage.

How a matrimony website differs

A website built for marriage can add things a chat group usually does not, such as:

• profiles that are not published on the open web,
• privacy settings over who sees a photo,
• reporting and blocking tools,
• some form of checks on what is posted.

It also has downsides. It is run by a company, it may charge for some features, and the quality of the other members is not guaranteed. No site can promise a match or a marriage. Our comparison of Somali marriage apps and websites, Somali marriage apps and websites, lists the main options with their own descriptions.

Where Somali Marriage fits

Somali Marriage is a matrimony website for Somalis, and we are new and small. Read how it works to see whether it suits you, and the comparison to see the alternatives.

Staying safe, wherever you look

• Share little at first. Keep your full name, address and workplace private until you trust the person.
• Use reporting and blocking tools wherever they exist, and leave any group or chat where you feel pressured.
• Never send money to someone you have not met.

For the steps that come after an introduction, see how to find a Somali spouse abroad.

Sources

How the word calafdoon is used is described from common online use; we have not verified a dictionary definition. The description of how groups work and the risks listed are general and are not based on a survey of any group. Guurdoon is explained in our guide, which cites its own sources. For any religious question, ask your local imam.