Liya Kebede
Model, maternal health advocate, clothing designer, actress
Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Liya Kebede works as an international fashion model. She has appeared on the covers of Italian, Japanese, Korean & Spanish Vogue, Numero, V, French, Flair, i-D, South African Elle, Harper’s & Queen, Essence, and Time’s “Style & Design” issue. Kebede was also featured on the September 2004 cover of American Vogue, where she was named one of the leading faces of “the Return of the Super Model”. Kebede appeared for a second time on the May 2005 cover of American Vogue, with the heading “Cover model with a cause,” profiling her work with the World Health Organization as their Goodwill Ambassador for her tireless efforts in raising awareness for the difficulties that women and children face in the developing world.
In 2005, Kebede was appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. She then founded the Liya Kebede Foundation, whose mission is to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality in Ethiopia and around the world. In 2009, she worked with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their Living Proof Project. Kebede served as a High-Level adviser for the Center for Global Development’s 2009 report “Start with a Girl: A New Agenda for Global Health.” Kebede writes for The Huffington Post about maternal and child health and has been featured in Vogue and on The Daily Beast. She is also part of the Champions for an HIV Free Generation, an organization of African leaders led by former Botswana President Festus Mogae.
The Common Good hosted Kebede in 2011 for a discussion about her role in the film Desert Flower.
Twitter: @liyakebede
