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Senegalese female gender activist among '100 most inspiring people'
Thursday, 03 March 2011 02:32
JollofNews - One of Senegal’s leading voices for women’s welfare has had her effort recognized with her
inclusion in a list of the world’s '100 most inspiring people'.US based global advocacy organization, Women Deliver, named Marietou Diarra, a community activist, alongside some of the world’s most influential people across a wide sphere of life, including US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and two former First Ladies of US and UK – Laura Bush and Sarah Brown.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Women Deliver announced its “Women Deliver 100” list it described as the hundred most inspiring people who have delivered for girls and women.
“This list recognizes women and men, both prominent and lesser known, who have committed themselves to improving the lives of girls and women around the world,” a statement by the organization said.
“Honorees derive from the fields of health, human rights, politics, economics, education, journalism, and philanthropy, and represent a great diversity of geographic and cultural backgrounds,” it added.
Also in the list of Women Deliver 100, who are said to have been selected from among hundreds of potentials featuring some of the most “intrepid, committed, and results-driven people in the world,” are heads of states, notably Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Prime Ministers of Norway and Spain as well as celebrated television journalist of worldwide fame, Christiane Amanpour.
Senegalese activist Marietou Diarra, recognized for her effort in Women’s empowerment and female genital cutting, has a remarkable personal history, having lost two daughters to the touchy practice of female genital cutting. This bitter experience inspired her to become an anti-FGM activist.
Diarra’s first daughter was only three when she died; her second daughter was seven.
“But a girl who did not undergo “the tradition” faced intolerable social stigma, and it wasn’t until the elder of a neighboring village proposed ending the practice that Diarra and other women could conceive of change – and speak out,” noted Women Deliver in its profile of the Senegalese activist.
In 1998, the 13 intermarrying villages in Diarra’s region decided, together, to end female genital cutting. Then, with help from the nonprofit organization, Tostan, Diarra approached 48 other villages – all of whom subsequently abandoned the practice.
“Her determined grassroots activism and passionate approach to peer-education has proven the power of communities to decide for themselves to put girls first,” noted Women Deliver.
Written by Kemo Cham
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