Bruktawit Tigabu is described by Isha Sesay of CNN, as a young Ethiopian with a deep affection for children. Today, Tigabu has turned her passion and affection for kids into a creative force that is fast becoming a phenomenal in her home country and a source of fascination around the globe. With the international recognition, comes a string of accolades, including: the Next Generation Prize at the Prix Jeunesse International, which honours innovative children’s TV programmes and the 2010, Rolex Young Laureate Award for Enterprise. Tigabu was chosen from a pool of nearly 200 nominees worldwide by an international jury of experts and was among five outstanding social entrepreneurs who impressed the judging panel with their passion and conviction to overcome the challenges facing our planet.
Profile
Bruktawit Tigabu began her professional career as a primary school teacher in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. Determined to reduce child mortality rates in her country, she looked for ways to educate children on health matters. In 2005, with her husband, Tigabu set up Whiz Kids Workshop. Working from their living room, using sock puppets, computer graphics and their own voices, they began producing “Tsehai Loves Learning,” a television programme about a young, female giraffe, named Tsehai, which covers many health-related issues. Twenty-six episodes of this highly successful programme (in Amharic, Ethiopia’s principal language), have now been created, each one seen by an estimated 2.6 million children.
(As culled from the Rolex Awards for Enterprise Young Laureate Programme website.)
Read full CNN article: Bruktawit Tigabu
