Efua Dorkenoo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Efua Dorkenoo
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Efua Dorkenoo, January 2014
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| Born | 6 September 1949 Cape Coast, Ghana
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| Died | 18 October 2014 (aged 65) |
| Other names | Stella Efua Graham |
| Education | Wesley Girls' High School |
| Alma mater | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine City University London |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Known for | Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (FORWARD) |
| Spouse(s) | Freddie Green, Bernard Dotse Dorkenoo |
| Children | 2 sons |
Efua Dorkenoo, OBE (6 September 1949 – 18 October 2014), affectionately known as "Mama Efua", was a Ghanaian-British activist for women's health.
Early years
She was born in Cape Coast, Ghana, where she attended Wesley Girls' High School. She moved to London at the age of 19 to study nursing, and eventually earned a master's degree at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a research fellowship at City University London. She was a staff nurse at various hospitals, including the Royal Free.
Campaigning work
She joined the Minority Rights Group and travelled to various parts of Africa. In 1983 she founded the Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (FORWARD), a British NGO. She began working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1995 and was the acting director for women’s health there until 2001. She was Advocacy Director for Equality Now (an international human rights organization). She was close friends with Alice Walker, advising on and featured in the documentary film Warrior Marks (1993) made by Walker and Pratibha Parmar and with Gloria Steinem.
Honours and recognition
In 1994, Dorkenoo was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. In 2000, she and Gloria Steinem received Equality Now's international human rights award. In 2012, she was made honorary senior research fellow in the School of Health Sciences at City University London, and in 2013 she was named one of the BBC's 100 Women.
Dorkenoo died of cancer in London at the age of 65 on 18 October 2014, survived by her husband Freddie Green, her sons Kobina and Ebow, and her stepchildren.
See also
In Spanish: Efua Dorkenoo para niños
