Metsehate is a public health and gender expert who leads a program that teaches teenage brides about family planning. Her interest is in adolescent and youth development, with an emphasis on rural girls. She is the daughter of a child bride – her mother was married at age 10. This sparked Metsehate’s interest in working with rural girls to better understand their bodies and how childbirth affects their future. Describing her work, she says, “I want to tell the story of girls – those we assume are off track but really, they dream big. They have courage and passion in their context to live life.” She is a single mother who left an abusive marriage and aims to help other girls and women avoid gender-based violence.
