Yetnebersh Nigussie

Life

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 Saint Wollo, 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 learned there up to grade 12. 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, she studied her first degree in law and master's degree 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. During her service for the Anti-AIDS movement, she has received a number of national and international awards one of which being the AMANITARE award 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 of persons with disabilities in different development programmes including economic empowerment. As of 2016, Yetnebersh is working with disability and development NGO LIGHT FOR THE WORLD, which she had previously represented as a member of their International Board of Ambassadors.

Publications

Awards