Nairobi News

Three Kenyans have made the list for the world’s 100 inspirational women which was released on Wednesday by BBC as part of its 100 women campaign.

Radio and television host Adelle Onyago, TV presenter and radio news anchor at Capital FM Anita Nderu and Naomi Mwaura, a lead organiser of the anti-harassment protest #MyDressMyChoice are the Kenyan women in the list.

The list also included four other African women including Ellen Johnson the 24th and current President of Liberia since 2006 and the first elected female head of state in Africa.

Also in the list is Marieme Jamme (Senegal), who taught herself to read and write at the age of 16 and is now a self-made businesswoman, Talent Jumo (Zimbabwe), who supports victims of revenge porn, giving them counselling and legal advice and fighting for sexual and reproductive health rights for women and Singer, song writer and philanthropist from Nigeria Tiwa Savage.

WOMEN CHALLENGE

This year, the women on the list will be part of the 100 Women Challenge, tackling some of the biggest problems facing women around the world.

Coming together in four teams, the women will share their experiences and create innovative ways to tackle The glass ceiling (#Teamlead), Female illiteracy (#Teamread), Street harassment (#Teamgo) and Sexism in sport (#Teamplay)

Starting in October, the challenge will draw on the world’s wealth of female talent across all spheres of modern life – from engineering to the creative industries, from sport to business – as four teams tackle everyday problems currently affecting women’s lives around the world.

With help and inspiration from women who face these challenges daily, as well as star ambassadors and the BBC’s global audience, they will have a week to invent, develop and deliver a prototype. This could be a tech solution, product or campaign that tackles the issue.

The 100 Women Challenge will begin in San Francisco on 2 October, with the first team looking at breaking through the glass ceiling. The next team will be based in Delhi, tackling female illiteracy.

INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN

The project then brings together women from two cities, as a team based in London take inspiration from women in Nairobi working to combat sexual harassment and improve safety on public transport. The final week will see a team in Rio de Janeiro take on sexism in sport.

This year’s 100 Women List includes a new twist – while 60 women have already been identified, the remaining 40 places will be filled by those who have supported, inspired and helped the teams on the ground over the course of the weeks.

100 Women was established in 2013 as an annual series focused on a list of 100 inspirational women.

The list was supported by news, features, investigations and interviews highlighting the work of these women, targeting female audiences.