TIME named Dr Fatou Baldeh to its 2025 list of the most influential people worldwide. She appears as an icon among notable world figures. The honor stunned Baldeh, who dedicated it to Gambian women and girls, whom she calls the real icons.
Baldeh fights for gender justice as a Gambian activist. Her life shows courage against sexual violence, mainly female genital mutilation, which she experienced as a child. She studied psychology at the University of Wolverhampton and earned a master's degree in reproductive health from Queen Margaret University.
She started Women in Liberation and Leadership after returning home from abroad. Her group works to protect Gambian women through policy changes and awareness campaigns. The TIME100 adds to her growing recognition, which includes a British Empire membership award and the International Women of Courage Award.
Former President Obama praised her work to stop FGM earlier this year. Harvard listed her among 25 extraordinary women alongside world leaders and famous philanthropists. She is pursuing her PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University and researching at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Besides her activist work, Baldeh raises four sons with her husband. She earned an honorary doctorate from her first university. The full list of TIME100 appears in their April issue, which is available on newsstands Friday.
Baldeh fights for gender justice as a Gambian activist. Her life shows courage against sexual violence, mainly female genital mutilation, which she experienced as a child. She studied psychology at the University of Wolverhampton and earned a master's degree in reproductive health from Queen Margaret University.
She started Women in Liberation and Leadership after returning home from abroad. Her group works to protect Gambian women through policy changes and awareness campaigns. The TIME100 adds to her growing recognition, which includes a British Empire membership award and the International Women of Courage Award.
Former President Obama praised her work to stop FGM earlier this year. Harvard listed her among 25 extraordinary women alongside world leaders and famous philanthropists. She is pursuing her PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University and researching at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Besides her activist work, Baldeh raises four sons with her husband. She earned an honorary doctorate from her first university. The full list of TIME100 appears in their April issue, which is available on newsstands Friday.
