Bogaletch Gebre (1960–2019)
Born 1960 CE, died 2019 CE.
Bogaletch "Boge" (pronounced Bo-gay) Gebre (1950s – 2 November 2019) was an Ethiopian scientist and activist. In 2010, The Independent characterized her as "the woman who began the rebellion of Ethiopian women." Along with her sister Fikirte Gebre, Gebre founded KMG Ethiopia, formerly called Kembatti Mentti Gezzima-Tope (Kembatta Women Standing Together). The charity works to serve women in many areas, including preventing female genital mutilation and bridal abductions, the practice of kidnapping and raping young women to force them into marriage. According to the National Committee on Traditional Practices of Ethiopia, such practices were the basis of 69% of marriages in the country as of 2003. The Independent reports that the organization has reduced the rate of bridal abductions in Kembatta by over 90%, while The Economist notes it has been credited with reducing female genital mutilation from 100% to 3%. In 2005, Gebre was awarded the 2005 North-South Prize and in 2007 the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. For her contributions to the development of Africa, Boge was awarded the King Baudouin International Development Prize in May 2013.
Text from the Wikipedia article Bogaletch_Gebre, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.