Three Kenyans Named among World's 100 Most Inspirational Women

Three Kenyans have been listed in the world’s 100 inspirational women which was unveiled by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) as part of its 100 women campaign on Wednesday.

The three Kenyan women in the coveted list are radio and television host Adelle Onyango, TV presenter and radio news anchor at Capital FM Anita Nderu and Naomi Mwaura, a lead organizer of the popular anti-harassment protest #MyDressMyChoice.

Only four other Women from Africa made it to the list including Ellen Johnson the 24th and current President of Liberia since 2006 and the first elected female head of state in Africa.

Marieme Jamme (Senegal), who taught herself to read and write at the age of 16 and is now a self-made businesswoman, Talent Jumo (Zimbabwe), who supports victims of revenge porn, giving them counselling and legal advice and fighting for sexual and reproductive health rights for women and Singer, song writer and philanthropist from Nigeria Tiwa Savage are others in the list.

The women on the list will this year be taking part in the 100 Women Challenge, tackling some of the biggest challenges facing women around the world.

The 100 will be grouped into four teams, each assigned with specific roles. To tackle the glass ceiling will be (#Teamlead), Female illiteracy will be tacked by (#Teamread) Street harassment by (#Teamgo) and Sexism in sport (#Teamplay). The challenge will start in October.

With the assistance and inspiration from women facing these problems daily, as well as star ambassadors and the BBC’s global audience, they will be given a week to invent, develop and deliver a prototype that could be a tech solution, product or campaign that tackles the challenge.

The 100 Women Challenge will start in San Francisco on 2th October, with the first group looking at breaking through the glass ceiling. The next team will be based in Delhi, to face female illiteracy.

A third team will be based in London tackling inspiration from women in Nairobi working to combat sexual harassment and improve safety on public transport.

The final week will be for the fourth team based in Rio de Janeiro to take on sexism in sport.

This year’s 100 Women List comprises a new twist – while 60 women have already been named, the remaining 40 places will be occupied by those who have supported, inspired and helped the teams on the ground over the course of the weeks.

100 Women was founded in 2013 as an annual event aimed at identifying a list of 100 inspirational women. The list was based on news, features, investigations and interviews highlighting the work of these women, targeting female audiences.