Yetnebersh Nigussie (born 24 January 1982) is an Ethiopian lawyer and

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

activist. In 2017, she was awarded the

Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob v ...

for "her inspiring work promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities, allowing them to realise their full potential and changing mindsets in our societies."

Life and education

Yetnebersh Nigussie lost her eyesight at the age of 5. She describes this instance as an opportunity as it helped her to escape from the early marriage which was widely exercised in Amhara region, at the place where Yetnebersh was born. She attended her primary classes in Shashemane Catholic School for the Blind, then joined Menelik II Senior Secondary School (an inclusive school) and studied there until 12th grade. In addition to her academic involvement in the school, she has chaired more than 6 students’ clubs including the students’ counsel. Joining

Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa University (AAU) ( am, አዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest university in Ethiopia. AAU has thirteen campuses. Twelve of these are situated in Addis Ababa, ...

, she attained her undergraduate degree in law and her master's in social work. Continuously involved in extracurricular activities, she chaired the AAU Anti-AIDS movement 2004–05 and founded the Addis Ababa University (AAU) Female Students Association in 2006 as well as served as the first president of the association.

Activism

During her service for the Anti-AIDS movement, she has received a number of national and international awards including the AMANITARE award (African Partnership for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Girls) which she received in 2003 in South Africa for her strong advocacy work for girls’ education. Besides her academic life, Ms. Yetnebersh served in more than 20 organizations voluntarily out of which the Ethiopian National Association of the Blind Women's Wing happened to be the one she chaired for 4 years (2003–07). Out of that exposure, she decided to found a local organization called Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) along with other prominent Ethiopians to promote the

inclusion Inclusion or Include may refer to: Sociology * Social inclusion, aims to create an environment that supports equal opportunity for individuals and groups that form a society. ** Inclusion (disability rights), promotion of people with disabiliti ...

persons with disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

in different development programmes including

economic empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...

. , Yetnebersh is working with disability and development NGO

LIGHT FOR THE WORLD Light for the World is an international disability and development NGO aiming at an inclusive society. The organisation currently supports more than 258 projects in 20 countries and 2 regions throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania d ...

,LIGHT FOR THE WORLD website, March 2016
/ref> which she had previously represented as a member of their International Board of Ambassadors. In September 2017, Yetnebersh Nigussie was named a joint winner of the

, the "Alternative Nobel Prize", ''"for her inspiring work promoting the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities, allowing them to realise their full potential and changing mindsets in our societies".'' Sharing the honour with

Khadija Ismayilova Khadija Rovshan qizi Ismayilova, also Ismailova, ( az, Xədicə Rövşən qızı İsmayılova, pronounced ; born 27 May 1976) is an Azerbaijani investigative journalist and radio host who is currently working for the Azerbaijani service of Radi ...

Colin Gonsalves Colin Gonsalves is a designated Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India and the founder of Human Rights Law Network (HRLN). He specializes in human rights protection, labour law and public interest law. He has been awarded Right Liveliho ...

, and American environmental lawyer

Robert Bilott Robert Bilott (born August 2, 1965) is an American environmental attorney from Cincinnati, Ohio. Bilott is known for the lawsuits against DuPont on behalf of plaintiffs injured by waste dumped in rural communities in West Virginia. Bilott has spe ...

. Inspired by winning the Right Livelihood Award and the Spirit of Helen Keller Award, Yetnebersh Nigussie initiated the ‘Her Abilities Award’ together with Light for the World to honour women with disabilities who achieved greatness in their life and field of work. www.her-abilities-award.org

Publications

* Nigussie, Yetnebersh (2006). The need for Legal Reform on the rights of Persons with Disabilities in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Law, Addis Ababa Ethiopia. * Nigussie, Yetnebersh & Ransom, Bob (2008). UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: a Call for Action on Poverty, Lack of Access and Discrimination, ECDD, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. * Nigussie, Yetnebersh (2009). Psychosocial Dimensions and Employability of Persons with Disabilities, Addis Abeba University, School of Social Work, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Awards

* AMANITARE award for sexual and reproductive health advocates, 2003,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, South Africa. * Individual award for excellent HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities coordination, awarded by the Addis Ababa City Administration in collaboration with the Addis Abeba HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO). October 7, 2005 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. * Best HIV/AIDS National Activist, awarded by General Medical Practitioners Association, 2005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. * World of Difference 100 Award, awarded by International Alliance for Women (TIAW), 2011. Ethiopia Investor website
/ref> * Right Livelihood Award 2017 Right Livelihood Award 2017 announcement
/ref> *Spirit of Helen Keller Award 201

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nigussie, Yetnebersh 1982 births Living people Ethiopian disability rights activists People from Amhara Region Blind activists