Kopano Mabaso

Kopano Matlwa Mabaso, 34, a qualified medical doctor, is the founder of the Grow Great Campaign, an initiative aimed to mobilise South Africa towards a national commitment to zero stunting by 2030.

Stunting, where children suffer from impaired growth and development due to malnutrition, affects approximately 27% of children in South Africa.

The campaign works with community health practitioners and parents by providing educational material through mom-and-baby classes to help ensure that babies are well fed during their first 1 000 days.

Kopano is also an award-winning author. Her three novels Coconut, Spilt Milk and Period Pain have been published in over a dozen languages.

Kopano, a Rhodes Scholar, holds a Masters in Global Health Science and DPhil (PhD) in Population Health from Oxford University. She was named an Archbishop Desmond Tutu fellow in 2015.

Find out more about Kopano.