Awards
Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation has been awarding women and men for their work against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other types of violence against women and girls since 2015. The purpose of the Global Woman Awards is to recognize women, men, and students who use their talents and professional attributes to help in the campaign to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and support other women’s interests, globally. If you wish to nominate someone for one of the categories, or nominate yourself, please complete the nomination form below and submit it to us. Our committee will review your submission and contact you, the nominator. As the awardees are chosen and confirmed, they will be posted to this page. To nominate someone for a 2024 Global Woman Award, please complete the attached form NOMINATE and submit. Please register for the 2024 Global Woman Awards.
2024 Awardees
Lifetime Achievement – Bernadette Resian Loloju, CEO of Chief Executive Officer of the Anti-Female Genital Mutilation Board in Kenya. Mrs. Loloju is a passionate girl rights crusader committed to ending the practice of Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya and a World that is free from FGM by 2030. She has served in different capacities in the field of girls and women empowerment for over 15 years. Before her current portfolio, she worked with World Vision Kenya for 10 years prior to joining the Government of Kenya to serve at the first substantive Chief Executive Officer of the Anti-FGM Board. Through her efforts, she has saved many girls from FGM, child marriages, and teenage pregnancies. As a survivor of FGM, she feels that it is possible for every girl in the world to be safe, so long as communities are fully engaged in the process of bringing the cut to an end.
Lisa C. Bruch Woman of the Year – Amy Hill is trainer and consultant on the ethics and practice of strategic storytelling and participatory media for gender equality, health, and human rights. Founder and current director of Silence Speaks Storytelling, which has since 1999 been using oral history, facilitative filmmaking, and popular education to support the telling and public sharing of life stories documenting injustice and promoting individual, community, and policy change. Current Editorial Director with Hesperian Health Guides, a nonprofit publisher committed to health justice.
Advocacy – Mariam Bojang graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler and holds a BA and an MA in political science and government with a minor in international relations. Originally from The Gambia, West Africa, Mariam currently works as a Project Manager for the Seattle Downtown Emergency Service Center, and she also serves as a board member, occupying the position of Director for Membership and Public Relations with the Gambia Diaspora Experts Initiative. She has also gained experience as the Global Head of Programs for the Youth for Sustainable Development Foundation; interning for the World Affairs Council of Dallas, Texas; and volunteering at pro bono immigration law offices around the greater Dallas area. Mariam has served as staff at several national Model United Nations Conferences and dedicates her time to raising awareness on the issues of homelessness, female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) and creating fundraising drives for the less privileged through a foundation she co-founded call Giving Back to the Gambia. Her areas of expertise are mainly urban farming and development, gender studies, crisis de-escalation, and migration. She has appeared in interviews with Dallas's D-Magazine, New York Times, and Al-Jazeera America.
Education / Training – Fairuz Mohammed is a doctoral student in the applied public health program at The George Washington University (GWU). Fairuz has over 10 years of public health and clinical research experience, with much of her work focused on child and adolescent health and injury research. Most recently, Fairuz has been supporting research and applied program efforts at GWU related to early childhood nutrition, and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). With a deep interest in supporting human rights and health equity, Fairuz has been fortunate to pair her public health leadership studies with efforts to prevent FGM/C and support survivors through data collection and analysis, resource development, community collaborations, and training and technical assistance projects.
Survivor Activist – Isatou Jeng is a feminist leader, community organizer, and women’s rights activist. She has over thirteen years of experience and diverse skills advocating against FGM/C and gender-based violence. She works with The U.S. End FGM/C Network as a Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator. Similarly, Isatou works with AmiKha Consulting as a Fundraising Consultant, where she works with U.S-based social justice nonprofits and NGOs in the Global South addressing the systemic and intentional oppression of the most marginalized groups and identities. Isatou dedicates her life to uplifting women and children to live a dignified life through education, campaigns, and advocacy. She is a co-founder of The Girls’ Agenda — one of the leading women’s rights organizations working to end FGM/C and child marriage in the Gambia. As an FGM/C survivor, she uses her story to raise awareness and call for an end to the practice using a holistic and human rights-based approach. Isatou has extensive experience developing and implementing training programs on FGM/C.
Survivor Activist – Sinnah Bangura is the youngest of three siblings and immigrated to the U.S. from Sierra Leone in 2001. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Science. As a young mother to three amazing children, Romeo and Laila, she wrote a story that honors the diversity of mothers. The book, titled “Mamas Just Like You!” is part of the Shout Mouse Mini Mirrors series for toddlers and celebrates mothers doing their jobs and pursuing their passions alongside their admiring kiddos. It especially highlights mothers who might not normally appear in children’s books, from construction mamas to student mamas to tattooed mamas. Sinnah Bangura’s message is that anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself. As a survivor of FGM/C, Bangura has become an advocate for spreading awareness and educating her classmates and American friends on the practice of FGM/C.
Student Ambassador – Summer de Vera is a current Master of Public Health candidate (2024) at George Washington University with a concentration in Women, Youth, and Child Health. She graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a degree in Biology and is on the path to becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. She will be applying to nursing school next year. Summer currently works as a medical assistant at a pediatric gastroenterologist’s office and has additional training as a birth doula. She is also involved as an intern at the Hyperemesis Education and Research Foundation as well as the Global Woman P.E.A.C.E Foundation where she is completing her practicum project for graduate school. She is incredibly honored to have received the Global Woman Award in the “Student Ambassador” category and hopes to continue to aid GWPF in the future.
Donald A. Strong Man of the Year – Arnold DeShield is the Finance Director of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation. In addition to his role with Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, Arnold served as the controller of The Goode Companies. He began his career at Chancellor Broadcasting Corporation as a business assistant. He later worked as an assistant business manager for Radio One, Corporate Controller at On Top Communications, and later at McKinley Marketing Partners, as Manager of Finance and Accounting for the East Coast and Southeast regions. Arnold has brought many years of finance experience to the boardroom of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation. He is also the Director of the Resource Development Team of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation.
Policymaking / Legal – Sen. Karen Keiser represents Washington’s 33rd Legislative District, which contains a number of suburban cities south of Seattle, including SeaTac, Kent, Des Moines and Burien. As President Pro Tempore, she presides over the Washington State Senate when the lieutenant governor is unavailable. And as chair of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee, she champions policies that help working families and improve women’s economic security. As the former chair and longtime member of the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee, Sen. Keiser was a pivotal leader in reforming Washington’s health care system, fully implementing the Affordable Care Act, and passing Washington’s nation-leading Paid Family and Medical Leave program. She has also served as the lead Senate Democratic negotiator on the capital budget. Sen. Keiser currently serves on the budget-writing Ways & Means Committee and as vice chair of the Rules Committee. Sen. Keiser was born and raised in the rural state of Iowa and moved to California for her senior year in high school. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in journalism. She worked as a broadcast journalist in Portland, Denver and Seattle before becoming the communications director for the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. She and her husband had three children, two sons and a daughter. Sen. Keiser was appointed to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1995 and ran and won her first election in 1996. She was appointed to the Washington State Senate in 2001 and has been re-elected six times. When not running or serving in office, Sen. Keiser enjoys singing, dancing and gardening.
Medical / Health – Dr. Diane J. Young, DrPH, MS, RN is Director at Prince George’s County Health Department and Doctor of Public Health. Pushing the envelope in public health innovation, Dr. Young has dedicated her time and efforts to end the HIV epidemic, elevate women’s health, improve perinatal outcomes, and has championed health equity. She has worked at the National Institutes of Health and continues to serve as Division Director of Family Health Services at Prince George’s County. She recently graduated from the Milken Institute for Public Health at George Washington University.
2023 Awardees
Lifetime Achievement – Madam Fatoumata Kande-Kouyate
Lisa C. Bruch Woman of the Year – F.A. Cole
Advocacy – Caitlin LeMay
Education / Training – Dr. Krishna Patel
Survivor Activist – Jennifer Hawkins
Survivor Activist – Sunshine Chantal Bayor
Student Ambassador – Grace E. Olander
Student Ambassador – Esther Park
Donald A. Strong Man of the Year – Dr. Mamady Kamara
Policymaking / Legal – Mariya Taher
Medical / Health – Dr. Nettie Johnson
2022 Awardees
Survivor Activist: Comfort Dondo
Donald A. Strong Man of the Year: Mohammad Chappalwala
Medical / Health: Mariama Diallo
Education / Training: Dr. Nicole Warren
Advocacy: Lola Ibrahim
Policy Making / Legal: Hon. Dame Pauline Tallen
Lisa C. Bruch Woman of the Year: Dr. Crista Johnson Agbakwu
Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Joanna Vergoth
Student Ambassadors: Janay Johnson & Tetua-Ra’a Espere
2021 Awardees
Survivor Activist: Renee Bergstrom, Ed.D
Man of the Year: Imam Mohamed Hagmagid
Medical / Training: Dr. Jacqueline K. Hoang
Education / Training: Deborah Jackson, Ed.D
Advocacy: Sayydah Garrett
Policy Making / Legal: Lyric Thompson
Lisa C. Bruch Woman of the Year: Khadijah Abdullah
Lifetime Achievement: Shelby R. Quast
Student Ambassadors: Charbene Williams
2020 Awardees
Lifetime Achievement - U.S. Congressman Gerald E. Connolly
Lisa C. Bruch Woman of the Year Award - U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
Advocacy - Purity Soinato Oiyie
Education / Training - Donald A. Strong, BS, MBA, MPH
Survivor Activist - Ifrah Ahmed
Student Ambassador - Marin Hoang
Man of the Year - Alexander Adams
Policy-Making / Legal - Jeanne Smoot
Medical / Health (Shared with Dr. Jehan El-Bayoumi) - Dr. Sohail Rana
Medical / Health (Shared with Dr. Sohail Rana) - Dr. Jehan (Gigi) El-Bayoumi
2019 Awardees
Advocacy - Djessou Kouyate
Policy Making - Representative Thomas P. Murt, Pennsylvania
Survivor Activist - Maryum Saifee
Education/Training - Dr. Ghada Khan
Legal - Attorney Sandra Roland
Medical/Health - Dr. Willa Jones
Student Ambassador - Edwige Dossou Kitti
Lisa C. Bruch Woman of the Year - Monalisa Dugue
Man of the Year - Dr. Morissanda Kouyate
2018 Awardees
Advocacy - Susan McLucas (1st Place); Adriana Kaplan (2nd Place)
Policy Making - Giselle Portenier (1st Place); Sarah Champion & Heather Sirocki (2nd Place tie)
Survivor Activist - Severina Lemachokoti (1st Place); Marie-Claire Moraldo (2nd Place)
Education/Training - Dr. Karen McDonnell & Hazel Barrett (1st Place tie); Barbara Nowak (2nd Place)
Literary - Kameel Ahmady (1st Place); Ramah Abdulaleem (2nd Place)
Legal - Ayodele Gansallo (1st Place); Dexter Dias (2nd Place)
Medical/Health - Dr. Mawaheb El-Mouelhy (1st Place); Dr. Ranit Mishori (2nd Place)
Media - David Indeje
Student Ambassador - Maria Akhter (1st Place); Fatu Drame (2nd Place)
Person of the Year - Dr. Beryl Dorsett (1st Place); Joetta Brown (2nd Place)
2017 Awardees
Advocacy - Arifa Nasim
Policy Making - Senator Richard H. Black
Survivor Activist - Mariya Taher
Education/Training - Edna Adan Ismail
Literacy - Tobe Levin Freifrau von Gleichen
Legal - Linda Weil-Curiel
Medical/Health - Dr. Pierre Foldes & Ms. Frederique Martz (Shared)
Media - Maggie O'Kane
Student Ambassador - Adama Diaby
2016 Awardees
Literary - Hilary Burrage
Advocacy - Susan Gibbs
Advocacy - Elisabeth Wilson
Advocacy - Sherelle Carper
Media - Andrea Roane
Media - Diane Walsh
Media - Missy Crutchfield
Artistic Advocacy - Godfrey Williams-Okorodus
Artistic Advocacy - Kristin Hoffmann
Legal - Susan L. Masling
Student Ambassador - Amani Sade DeShield
Education - Sarah Sisaye
Survivor Activist - Yatta Donsii
2015 Awardees
Medical - Dr. Marci Bowers
Legal - Shelby Quast
Leadership Advocacy - Fatoumata Kande
Leadership Advocacy - Martha Allen
Survivor Activist - Jaha Dukurah (The Gambia)
Survivor Activist - Mariam Bojang (The Gambia)
Survivor Activist - Aissata Camara (Guinea)
Survivor Activist - Eva Flomo (Liberia)
Survivor Activist - Annie Wright (Liberia)
Survivor Activist - Hibo Wardere (Somalia)
Survivor Activist - Francess Cole (Sierra Leone)
Donor Advocacy - Lisa C. Bruch