Freweini Mebrahtu
Freweini Mebrahtu | |
|---|---|
| ፍሬወይኒ መብራህቱ | |
| Born | Freweini Mebrahtu Ethiopian |
| Awards | 2019 CNN Hero of the year |
Freweini Mebrahtu (
Ge'ez: ፍሬወይኒ መብራህቱ, romanized: Frēweyinī Mebrahtu) is an Ethiopian chemical engineer and inventor who won the 2019 CNN Hero of the year award for her activism in improving girls' access to education.[1]
Early life
Freweini was born in
Tigray region of Ethiopia, and makes more than 700,000 of the reusable pads that are mainly provided to non-governmental organizations.[1]
Contribution
Her menstrual product plus her educational campaign has helped in removing the stigma surrounding menstruation and stopped girls from dropping out of schools due to the stigma.[2] The non profit organization Dignity Period has distributed more than 150,000 free menstrual supplies purchased from Freweni's factory. It was reported that attendance among girls improved by 24% due to this effort.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Meet the 2019 CNN Hero of the Year". CNN.com. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ a b "She's changing the cultural stigma around women's periods". CNN.com. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-09.