Anna Qabale Duba: Kenyan Nurse Wins Prestigious Award
Duba lost many family members, which inspired her to study nursing.
“Many lives would have been saved if there were health facilities. I lost many family members. That inspired me to want to help my people,” said Duba.
She also has campaigned against harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, or circumcision, and early girl-child marriages in the community. Nearly all girls in Turbi have undergone circumcision by the age of 12, and Duba said she went through it.
“Being a nurse and having seen what these women go through when giving birth, I decided to champion against it,” said Duba, explaining that the foundation involves everyone, with priests and sheikhs speaking against the harmful practices.
“The early marriages are still there, but I am telling them (community) to take their girls to school, because school delays these marriages,” added Duba, the first woman in her village to attain a university degree.
Her passion for working with the communities started in 2013 when she was named Miss Tourism Marsabit County. The work further accelerated in 2014 when she was crowned Miss Investment Kenya. After this, she decided to go back to the village to empower her communities.
Source: UCANews
