Roman Tesfaye, wife of former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, is a fervent advocate of women's economic empowerment. The former Ethiopian first lady sees this issue as the key to poverty eradication and social transformation. 

"What's good for women is good for the economy," she said. To illustrate that action speaks louder than words, Tesfaye launched a pilot project called "Connecting 1,500 Women and Young Girls to the Export Market" in February 2014. As part of this training project, the beneficiaries, unemployed women as well as female entrepreneurs who want to expand their businesses are able to acquire technical and entrepreneurial skills for the artisanal production of export-bound products, such as leather fashion accessories. Thanks to these new economic opportunities, they now have access to local and international markets, allowing them to improve their living conditions.

Tesfaye (center) launches the Smiling Children Project for a primary school in Addis Ababa on May 26, 2015 (COURTESY PHOTO)

School feeding program

Mother of three daughters, Tesfaye, who was the first lady between September 2012 and February 2018, pays special attention to the education and nutrition of children. Having grown up in the countryside, she discovered at an early age that education is an effective way to break the cycle of poverty. After reading a report of the Addis Ababa Education Bureau in 2014 showing that thousands of children were about to drop out of school because of malnutrition, Tesfaye sprang into action immediately.

In 2015, together with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), she initiated a school feeding program called Smiling Children Project covering 42 public primary schools in Addis Ababa. Today, the project has been providing free breakfast and lunch to 22,000 students in the capital.

According to studies, the school attendance rate for children taking part in this program rose to almost 99 percent. Their health status has improved, and their school performance is on the rise.

Moreover, also within the framework of this project, 1,200 mothers who had no stable source of income were recruited to be in charge of the supply, preparation and distribution of food to students. In this way, the project benefits both women and children. Tesfaye continues to be actively involved in efforts to raise funds so that more children can benefit from the initiative.

Tireless warrior

Tesfaye is also involved in other humanitarian work. Elected as head of the Organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS in 2017, she used her status to raise public awareness of the fight against this epidemic. The sustained efforts of Tesfaye and other African first ladies contributed to increased access of pregnant women living with HIV/AIDS and their children to HIV prevention and treatment services in Africa. The responsiveness of local institutions toward the pandemic has also been improved.

Access to cancer treatment and care services is another area of concern for energetic Tesfaye. She wants to make treatment and care services accessible and affordable to all Ethiopians living with cancer. She initiated in 2016 a national strategy for cancer prevention and control which covers the period of 2016-20, and in the process, five specialized university hospitals are now being built in different parts of the country. Diagnostic and treatment services for cervical cancer have also been expanded across the country.

Tesfaye has many admirers for the tireless work she does to help those less fortunate than herself. One of these admirers is Kenyan First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, who said, "Roman Tesfaye is a true warrior for women and children in Africa."

(Comments to lixiaoyu@chinafrica.cn)