International
She is a Burundian and a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2009
Lydia Nsekera
She refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama
Rosa Parks
She is the first female Chancellor of Germany since 2005, President of the EU in 2007, and Senior G7 Leader since 2014
Angela Merkel
This Albanian-Indian woman was one of the 20th century’s greatest humanitarians and was canonized as Saint
Mother Teresa
Remembered as ‘People’s Princess’, she was celebrated in the media for her unconventional approach to charity work
Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales
She was 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 800m
Francine Niyonsaba
She introduced a project of reusable and washable sanitary pads in Burundi
Grâce-Françoise Nibizi
Born in 1928 in the United States, this civil rights activist, also poet, author, actress, screenwriter and dancer, is known for her acclaimed 1969 memoir and her numerous poetry and essay collections
Maya Angelou
This Pakistani activist for female education is the Youngest Nobel Prize laureate
Malala Yousafzai
She served as the 24th President of Liberia and became the third African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
During the Civil War, she risked her life to bring supplies and support to soldiers in the field. She is the founder of the American Red Cross.
Clara Barton
In 1977, she founded an NGO called Green Belt Movement. She is the first African woman to win the Nobel Prize
Wangari Maathai
This Swedish environmental activist on climate change is widely know throughout the world. She is also the Youngest Time Person of the Year.
Greta Thunberg
She is one of 13 wives of a Burundian King and was Queen Regent of the country from 1908-1917
Queen Ririkumutima
She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work in leading a women’s peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003
Leymah Gbowee
She was considered as the wealthiest African-American businesswoman and the wealthiest self-made woman in America at the time of her death in 1919. She made her fortune by developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair products for black women
Madam C.J Walker (Sarah Breedlove)