Tewhida Ben Sheikh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tewhida Ben Sheikh
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Tewhida in 1936
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| Born | January 2, 1909 |
| Died | December 6, 2010 (aged 101) |
| Education | School of Medicine in Paris |
Tewhida Ben Sheikh (Arabic: توحيدة بن الشيخ; also Tawhida Ben Cheikh, Taouhida Ben Cheikh) (January 2, 1909 in Tunis – December 6, 2010) was the first modern Tunisian woman in North Africa to become a physician. She was also a pioneer in women's medicine.
Early years
Tewhida Ben Sheikh was born in Tunis, Tunisia. Her early education was at Tunisia's first public school for Muslim girls, Lycée de la rue de Russie, which was established by "Tunisian nationalists and liberal French protectorate authorities". While attending this school, Ben Sheikh was taught Arabic, French, the study of the Qur'an, and modern subjects. She travelled to the School of Medicine, Faculté de médecine de Paris to pursue her education, earning a degree in medicine in 1936. Upon her return to Tunis, she was given a dinner in her honour by local doctors.
Tunisia was a French colony at the time. Ben Sheikh came from an elite Tunisian family which was socially conservative, and her widowed mother was reluctant to allow her to go to France after secondary school; however, her secondary school instructors and a doctor from the Louis Pasteur Institute of Tunis (Dr. Etienne Burnet), persuaded Ben Sheikh's mother that she showed significant promise.
Professional achievements
Specializing in gynecology, Ben Sheikh directed a women's clinic in Tunisia. Ben Sheikh was an "active" supporter of family planning.
Legacy
In March 2020, Dr. Ben Sheikh featured on the new 10-dinar banknote issued by the Central Bank of Tunisia.
On 27 March 2021, Google celebrated her with a Google Doodle.
See also
In Spanish: Tewhida Ben Sheikh para niños
