Liya Kebede
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Model
FUNDING AREAS: Maternity Health, Global Development
OVERVIEW: Last decade, Liya Kebede founded The Liya Kebede Foundation, a nonprofit that supports safe motherhood initiatives in Africa. It has since been folded into the lemlem Foundation. Kebede also makes grants through the Kebede Family Foundation, a low-profile organization which she steers with her husband, Kassy, a hedge funder.
BACKGROUND: Born in Ethiopia, Liya Kebede enjoyed early success as a model in Paris and has since gone on to international fame. She has been featured in major magazines, including the cover of Vogue, as well as runway shows and print campaigns for leading designers. Kebede also founded Lemlem, a hand-crafted clothing brand, as a way to inspire economic independence in her native country. In 2007, she was ranked by Forbes as the eleventh-highest-paid model in the world.
ISSUES:
MATERNITY HEALTH: Supermodel Liya Kebede founded the lemlem Foundation (formerly Liya Kebede Foundation) in 2005, which coincided with her appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal & Child Health for the World Health Organization. She held this role through 2011. While still titled the Liya Kebede Foundation, LKF invested in health worker training and maternal health advocacy activities. Between 2011 and 2015, LKF focused on creating impact for mothers in Ethiopia. The foundation has supported Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association, among others.
WOMEN & GIRLS: When LKF changed its name, it also broadened its focus. The lemlem Foundation supports for women artisans in Africa, specifically Ethiopia and Kenya. The Women’s Empowerment program helps women train, “build skills and prepare for jobs in Africa’s growing textile and fashion sector.”
KEBEDE FAMILY FOUNDATION: Kebede also moves some of her philanthropy through the Kebede Family Foundation. Her husband, Kassy, founder of Panton Capital Group, serves as president of the foundation, while Kebede serves as chair. The foundation has given under $100,000 annually of late and supports organizations like Center for Global Development, Lung Transplant Project Foundation, Medshare International, World Orphans Foundation, and Institute of Semitic Studies.
LOOKING FORWARD: Only in her late 30s, Kebede has made a name as an activist and maternal health advocate. Expect her focus on maternity health to continue, and possibly increase in the coming years.
CONTACT:
The Kebede Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is an address:
The Kebede Family Foundation, Inc.
1261 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10128
LINK:
