The saying that behind a successful man lies a woman is also true to the world. For humans to have a peaceful and prosperous world, we need remarkable and exceptional women to play their role. African Ripples Magazine chronicled here some of the remarkable women working to make the world a better place for us all.
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
On Oct. 10, 2014, at age 17, Pakistani female education activist Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel laureate. When she was only 11, she wrote a blog for BBC, talking about her life under Taliban occupation. In 2012, Yousafzai survived a shooting. She went on to become an advocate for human rights and fighting Taliban forces to promote education for women in Swat Valley, Pakistan.
LIYA KEBEDE
Ethiopian-born model Liya Kebede is a famous name in the fashion industry. But it’s her work as a maternal health advocate that has positively affected the lives of thousands around the world. Kebede has served as WHO’s ambassador for maternal, newborn and child health since 2005. That year, she also founded the Liya Kebede Foundation, which works to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality in Ethiopia and other parts of the world.
TAMMY TIBBETTS
Tammy Tibbetts is the co-founder and president of She’s the First, a charity organization. Tibbetts through her charity which was founded in 2009, works to provide secondary education to girls in developing countries.
JAMILA BAYAZ
Afghanistan’s first female police chief, Col. Jamila Bayaz, is entrusted with running security details in District 1 of Kabul, Afghanistan, which houses the presidential palace, government ministries and the central bank. Apart from facing a conservative society and militant threats, the policewomen of Afghanistan are under constant threat from insurgents. Bayaz is also the mother of five children.
ZAINAB BANGURA
In 2012, Zainab Bangura, from Sierra Leone, was appointed special representative of the United Nations secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict. Stressing the point that sexual violence needs to stop, Bangura’s office helped bring about a U.N. declaration in which 140 member states committed to ending molestation and rape during conflict.
DIANE LUBY LANE
In 2006, Diane Luby Lane founded the Get Lit-Words Ignite teen literacy programs to reach out to youth through classic poetry. Get Lit connects with over 20,000 teenagers and helps them reach out to their families and communities through art and social activism.
CATHERINE SAMBA-PANZA
Known as “Mother Courage,” Central African Republic’s (CAR) interim president from 2014 to 2016, Catherine Samba-Panza, was selected to lead the country in January 2014 to bring under control ethnic clashes that forced more than 1 million people from their homes. Being the first female president of CAR and a women’s right activist, Panza worked toward steering her country away from violence.
MARY GRACE HENRY
At just 12 years old, Mary Grace Henry in 1999 formed the organization ‘Reverse the Course’, which sells hair accessory products to sponsor girls’ education in Uganda and Kenya. So far, Henry’s organization has sold more than 16,000 accessories, sponsored 115 girls, and is funding 251 years’ worth of educational supplies such as tuition, textbooks, uniforms and shoes.
STEPHANIE SINCLAIR
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Stephanie Sinclair’s photo series “Child Brides” exposed forced marriages in 50 countries. It also led to the formation in 2012 of her non-profit organization, Too Young to Wed, which aims to eradicate child marriage and provide support for girls in the communities covered in “Child Brides.”
MARIA ROSE BELDING
Maria Rose Belding’s online database, MEANS (Matching Excess and Need for Stability), helps connect people with excess food items to those in need. Operational since 2013, MEANS is already operating in 45 U.S. states, helping donors get in touch with pantries and food banks.
CHETNA SINHA
The founder of the non-profit Mann Deshi Foundation, Chetna Sinha helps empower women in the rural areas of Western India. Sinha and her organization provide the women with training, management help, and access to markets, lands and production practices. Mann Deshi supports more than 300,000 women and girls and also arranges for their loans and savings through the Mann Deshi micro-enterprise development bank.
MAGGIE DOYNE
Maggie Doyne’s foundation, BlinkNow, helps underprivileged children find education and a roof above their heads in Surkhet, Nepal. Doyne built the Kopila Valley School in Surkhet in 2010 with all her personal savings and the help of the local community. The school today educates more than 350 children and helps reduce the financial burdens of their families with meals, medicine, books and uniforms. Doyne is also the legal guardian of about 50 students of the school.
MEHREZIA LABIDI
The vice president of Tunisia’s constituent assembly, Meherezia Labidi is the most senior female politician of the Ennahda Movement party and also led the debates over Tunisia’s constitution, post-Arab spring. She constantly stood strong for women’s rights and the constitution, which was passed in 2014 and was seen as a breakthrough for women’s rights.
