Azeb Mesfin Haile (

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

and ; born 21 December 1966) is an Ethiopian politician who was the second

First Lady of Ethiopia First Lady of Ethiopia () is a title for the wife of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Prime Minister. Officially the concept of First Lady applied in Ethiopian politics since 1995. Although the first lady's role has never been codified ...

from 2001 to 2012. Azeb is the widow of Ethiopian Prime Minister

Meles Zenawi Meles Zenawi Asres ( Tigringa and ; ), born Legesse Zenawi Asres (8 May 1955 – 20 August 2012) was an Ethiopian politician and former rebel militant commander who served as president of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and as prime minister from 19 ...

. She is the founder and patron of National Initiative for Mental Health of Ethiopia. In early 2009, she was appointed CEO of the Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray by its head Abadi Zemu.

Early life

Azeb was born in

Welkait Welkait (also spelled Welkayt, Wolkait or Wolqayt) is a woreda in Western Zone, Tigray Region. This woreda is bordered to the north by Humera and to the south by Tsegede. It is bordered on the east by the North West Zone; the woredas of Taht ...

in the Tigray region, and was raised in Gadarif, Eastern Sudan. She is the daughter of an Amhara peasant farmer father Mesfin Haile and a

Tigrayan The Tigrayan people (, ''Təgaru'') are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. They speak the Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch. The daily life ...

mother Konjit Gola. Her maternal grandfather, Gola Goshu was as an Italian Askari during the

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Fascist Italy, Italy against Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is oft ...

(1935–1936). Due his action in the country, Gola was killed by Ethiopian patriots. From an early age, Azeb was raised by her aunt Maniahlosh Gola who is the daughter of this "Fitawrari" a title given to Goshu by Italian invaders meaning Commander of the vanguard; a feudal era military title. Azeb was married to Ethiopian Prime Minister

until his death in 2012. Together they had three children: Semhal, Marda and Senay Meles.

Career

She was elected in 2005 to the

House of Peoples' Representatives The House of Peoples' Representatives is the lower house of the Ethiopian Federal Parliamentary Assembly. Located in the capital Addis Ababa, the House has 547 members. All are elected in theory for five-year term in single-seat constituencies. ...

(the lower House of the

Ethiopian Parliament The Federal Parliamentary Assembly () is the federal legislature of Ethiopia. It consists of two chambers: *The House of Federation (upper chamber) *The House of Peoples' Representatives (lower chamber) Created with the adoption of the Ethi ...

) representing her home

woreda Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas (; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''List of zones of Ethiopia, zones'' and the ''Regions of Ethiopia, regional states''. These districts are f ...

and

Humera Humera (; ) is a town in the Kafta Humera woreda in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Western Zone the town has an elevation of above sea level. The Tekezé river borders the town to the north. Humera is a very important regional ...

, and serves as chair of its Social Affairs Standing Committee. Her role has at times been controversial, with some members of

Ethiopian diaspora There are over 2.5 million Ethiopians abroad, primarily inhabited in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. In U.S, there are 250,000 to one million diaspora and 16,347 in the Netherlands according to the Dutch Central Statistics ...

alleging that, during the period in which she was an executive at the parastatal Mega Corporation, she was involved in "the impropriety of mingling public, private and party-owned businesses." However Azeb is also known for her work to teach rural Ethiopians about the issues of

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

Her appearance at a special ceremony to honor the First Ladies of Africa for their efforts against the spread of HIV/AIDS held by

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

of Washington DC on 15 January 2007 was met by protests of exiled Ethiopians." The University was awarding its "John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award" to the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS for its leadership and service toward the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mesfin was to accept the award on behalf of the organization along with the first ladies of Zambia and Rwanda. She started the organization "Ethiopian Coalition of Women against HIV/AIDS" and continues to work closely with community leaders to ensure the rights of women, fight harmful traditional practices and HIV/AIDS.Ethiopian Coalition of Women against HIV
/ref> She said the award she received is not just for her organization but for the entire Ethiopian women declaring "the award is the result of the relentless struggle waged by Ethiopian women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azeb Mesfin 1966 births Living people Members of the House of Peoples' Representatives Spouses of prime ministers of Ethiopia First ladies of Ethiopia Ethiopian businesspeople Ethiopian Orthodox Christians Ethiopian women's rights activists People from Tigray Region 21st-century Ethiopian women politicians 21st-century Ethiopian politicians

Early life

Career

See also

References