Toyin Saraki
Nigeria
Toyin Saraki is the Founder and President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa. The core focal points of the Foundation are maternal health, child mortality, advocacy for social justice and women empowerment. The Foundation runs the Wellbeing Foundation MamaCare Antenatal Education classes which are led by a qualified midwife and are held weekly. The Foundation also launches campaigns to advocate their mission to reduce maternal mortality and the attainment of child survival in Nigeria and beyond. #MaternalMonday one of the advocacy campaigns of the foundation, creates awareness on the importance of equipped medical facilities, qualified midwives, and access to appropriate medical appointments in having a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery.
Toyin is a barrister with a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the London School of Oriental and African Studies and a Master’s degree in Law from Kings College London, both in England. In 2016, Toyin was given the prestigious Citizen Engagement Award by Speak Up Africa and became a fellow of the West African Academy of Public Health.
She is the former first lady of Kwara State, Nigeria and her husband Bukola is Nigeria’s current Senate President. The couple has four children.
Source: Alchetron
Jeannette Kagame
Rwanda
Jeannette Kagame is the Founder and Chairperson of Imbuto Foundation. It started in 2001 as ‘Protection and Care of Families against HIV/AIDS (PACFA)’ a project under the Office of the First Lady of Rwanda which mobilized resources desperately needed in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Over the years, PACFA grew to embrace more programmes and in 2007, it became Imbuto Foundation. The Foundation creates programmes that seek to improve on education, health, youth and socio economic issues in Rwanda.
The Edified Generation scholarship programme has awarded 6,000 scholarships to underprivileged secondary school students. The recipients receive assistance of up to $300 per year, to help pay for their living costs, health insurance and their school supplies.
The Mountain Movers II programme aimed at reducing HIV infections among youth aged between 15 and 24 years along with the Family Package programme which offers comprehensive HIV/AIDS services to families affected by the HIV virus have reached about 36,000 young people and adults.
In addition, Imbuto has organised 23 youth forum series and 2 youth empowerment workshops to empower youths.
Jeannette is the first lady of Rwanda.
Precious Motsepe
South Africa
Precious Motsepe is a medical doctor with a special interest in women’s health. Her passion for global health issues led to the formation of the Motsepe Foundation which is centred on making positive impact on South African communities through education, leadership training, youth and women empowerment, sports, health and agriculture.
The Motsepe foundation is chaired by Precious together with her husband, Patrice. Since 2013, the foundation has committed 1,000 bursaries towards tertiary education in 21 universities in South Africa. The bursaries are geared towards the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields as well as the Arts. In partnership with the Schwab Foundation, the Motsepe Foundation runs a social entrepreneurship program. This initiative currently has 320 entrepreneurs operating in 70 countries.
Precious is also the past-President of the Cancer Association of South Africa and serves on the boards of the Synergos Institute, an organisation dedicated to addressing global poverty and social injustice, and Endeavor, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming emerging countries by supporting high-impact entrepreneurs.
She also serves on the Women’s Leadership Board (Harvard Kennedy School) which supports research, teaching and training as well as the Women and Public Policy Programme in Gender Equality.