Ethiopia

Mahlet graduated as a valedictorian from Hayat Medical College in Ethiopia. She is passionate about women’s health and provides free medical service to underprivileged girls and women and advises on the design of a mobile application for family planning. She is the co-founder of Mamaje, a Sub-Saharan coalition on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and environmental sustainability, and the co-founding chair of Mandela Ethiopia Doctors, where she and her team led the first movement against gender-based violence in health care institutions. Mahlet was also a 2018 Mandela Washington fellow at University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).

Fiscal Sponsor: Eshet Children and Youth Developmental Organization (ECYDO)

Project Title: Inclusively Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights 

Inclusively Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights will advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among youth with visual impairments through inclusive and youth-friendly tools. The project will develop a braille and audio SRHR dictionary covering bodily changes during puberty, consent, contraception, and safe abortion, among other topics. The project will also create menstrual tracking bracelets that use shapes to help youth with visual impairments simply and effectively track their menstrual cycles. Additionally, this project will raise awareness among healthcare providers of the barriers youth with visual impairment face within health institutions. 

Rise Up Cohort: Youth Champion 2019