When Saron Mechale left her hometown of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend Brown University in 2013, the idea of becoming an entrepreneur was the furthest thing from her mind. Nine years later, however, Mechale finds herself at the helm of an impressive business that is turning an ancient superfood into a platform to help farmers and empower young girls in rural Ethiopia.

She has harnessed the power of an Ethiopian superfood fueling the country’s endurance runners and turned it into a healthy snack. And her business helps Ethiopian farmers earn a sustainable living while also funding a social program that uplifts rural Ethiopian girls and mothers through running and education.

Native to Ethiopia, teff is a tiny cereal grain so rich in protein, iron, calcium and other vitamins that only one cup can fulfill the larger part of several daily nutritional requirements. In 2017, Mechale turned the superfood into a company called goTeff, which sells a 100% plant-based, non-gluten snack delivering tons of nutrition.

“When I started this, it was almost like a social justice project in my head,” said Mechale, referring to industries where foreign companies routinely make large profits from Africa’s raw materials — everything from chocolate and cotton to metals mined for technology and jewelry.

On the strength of her idea, Mechale won an OZY Genius Award. And with the help of entrepreneurship courses at Brown, she was able to learn step by step the intricacies of starting her own business.

“Since winning the OGA for goTeff, I've continued working on making my vision a reality. We've created an outstanding product using our proprietary production process and have sold 6,000-plus units as proof of concept. I've also represented goTeff on several platforms and won awards, such as MassChallenge Rhode Island, the Brown Venture Prize, UNDP Youth for Sustainable Development, Hult Prize International, and have been featured in the Boston Globe Women in Africa Entrepreneurship Summit.”

Mechale has since raised more than $150,000 to expand her market, and she feels the potential of goTeff is unlimited. She is adamant that her product can provide health benefits for U.S. consumers while helping to improve the livelihoods of Ethiopian farmers and girls in rural communities.

“Since winning the OGA, we've added a new mission to goTeff that involves supporting young girls in Ethiopia by using running as a tool of empowerment to keep them in school. Ninety-five percent of girls in Ethiopia begin their education, but only 10% complete the 12th grade. As a female founder and someone who has the firsthand experience of growing up in Ethiopia as a young girl, the work we're doing with Girls Gotta Run is now one of the components of goTeff that I'm most passionate about,” Mechale says.

In discovering her passion for advocacy, Mechale, who is still in her twenties, has also become a role model for young women, working 80 hours a week to build a project with heart and soul. Her advice to young people: “Always remember, no one who ever accomplished big things knew everything they needed to know from the get-go … they all had to start somewhere.” She adds, “And although we're all given different resources, privileges and tools to start with, we can all start somewhere and keep tackling the task one step at a time. The universe often responds to that level of tenacity.”

Mechale’s goal is to make goTeff “a household name for Americans as a superfood and wellness brand, promoting Ethiopia's origin story of Teff at the center of that brand.” Mechale resolutely affirms that the “spirit and intent” of her project are to keep “representing Ethiopia and Africa in a positive and authentic way, and to create a bridge between my country and the Western world through this amazing superfood.”

Her drive has kept her vision alive: “For me, I am passionate about rebranding Ethiopia. I’m passionate about empowering women. And I’m passionate about making Teff and healthy food options accessible to people.”

— by Jennifer Ladonne

Access to prosthetic care is limited across the world, especially in developing countries. Entrepreneur and amputee advocate Claudine Humure is trying to change that by bringing life-changing prosthetics to those in need in Rwanda.

Five years ago, Humure won an OZY Genius Award for her initial idea — supplying 3D-printed, adjustable prosthetic sockets to amputees in her Rwandan homeland. Humure, a transfemoral amputee, was inspired by her own past struggles of accessing comfortable prosthetics.

Winning the OGA in 2017 “took me in a direction I didn’t even know was possible,” Humure said. The entrepreneur graduated from college in the same year and then returned to Rwanda, where she put her life-changing plans into action. “I was able to use the award to visit different prosthetic clinics in the country, attend prosthetic conferences in Rwanda and Tanzania, as well as visit other amputees in the area,” she said.

Humure’s travels around Central and East Africa inspired her to take her project in a different direction. “While in Rwanda, as I learned more about the state of the prosthetics and orthotics field in the country, it became apparent that my efforts should be more focused into advocacy rather than supplying this socket,” she said.

According to the World Health Organization, only 5% to 15% of people in lower-income countries have access to prostheses due to their high costs and the limited availability of materials. “Advocacy is important because it’s key in raising the voices of the numerous prosthetic and orthotist professionals in Rwanda who are lacking resources and support to carry out their jobs,” said Humure.

As well as promoting better prosthetic care in Rwanda, Humure seeks to break down the social misconceptions about people living with a disability or an amputation. “It is important to me, as a person living with an amputation, to help lift the thick veil of stigma that still covers the disability community today,” the amputee advocate said.

To amplify the voices of the amputee community, Humure turned to penning her thoughts to share her message to a wider audience. “I found myself writing opinion articles to advocate for better resources in the country and other low- and middle-income countries,” she said.

In 2020, she also coordinated a virtual conference called “Transforming Amputation and Prosthetic Services Globally,” hosted by the University of Global Health Equity and Imperial College London. The two-day conference focused on the importance of proper prosthetic and amputation services. It brought together a wide range of relevant contributors from surgeons and prosthetists to medical doctors and engineers from across the world.

Humure then decided to go back to school to pursue a masters degree in prosthetics and orthotics to “be of better service to the amputee community,” the young activist said. “In five years from now, I hope to be a certified prosthetist and orthotist who has successfully made life-changing prosthetic limbs for a number of patients. I hope to have a team of mentors and supporters who share in my dream of establishing the best prosthetic clinic in Rwanda.”

By opening a clinic, Humure aims to help improve the quality of life of potentially thousands of amputees. The clinic will be a place “where amputees get the mental and physical support they need to return to the independent lives they led before losing a limb,” Humure said.

The last five years has been a period of growth for the young advocate. “I have learned a lot since the day the winners of the OGA were announced,” Humure said. “I grew tremendously as an advocate for the disability community, but also as a prosthetist and orthotist.”

Now, her hope is that people “will be more awakened to the dire need of prosthetic limbs worldwide,” Humure said. “I hope that others will be inspired to support organizations that advocate for and work towards improving the lives of people living with limb amputation.”

It can be challenging to improve the lives of thousands of people in need, but that hasn’t stopped Humure. She is thankful for the support she has received to help her keep the fire burning. “I’m grateful for the OZY Genius Award because it gave me the courage and push to continue following my dream,” she said.

— by Sarah Brown

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