Tulu Worku
Ethiopian social reformer who pioneered women's education and healthcare initiatives in rural Africa
Tulu Worku (1905-1972) was a visionary social reformer from Ethiopia who made groundbreaking contributions to women's education and healthcare in rural Africa. Born in a remote village near Addis Ababa, she defied cultural norms by becoming one of the first Ethiopian women to complete formal education, graduating from the Addis Ababa Technical School in 1925. Her early work as a midwife revealed shocking disparities in maternal mortality rates between urban and rural areas, motivating her to establish Ethiopia's first mobile healthcare clinics in 1938.
In 1947, Worku founded the Ethiopian Women's Association, which trained over 500 female healthcare workers and built 17 rural schools by 1960. Her innovative 'Education on Wheels' program used converted buses to provide literacy classes and health education across the country. Worku's advocacy led to the 1955 Family Code reforms, which improved women's legal rights regarding marriage and property ownership.
During the 1960s, she pioneered community-based healthcare models still used today, including the first rural maternity waiting homes. Her memoir Breaking Chains: A Woman's Journey Through Ethiopian Progress (1968) became a seminal text in African feminist literature. Worku's legacy is preserved through the Tulu Worku Institute for Rural Development (www.tuluworku.org), which continues her mission to empower rural communities.
Key innovations include:
- Development of the first Ethiopian midwifery training program (1942)
- Establishment of the first rural electrification cooperative (1958)
- Creation of the 'Health for All' initiative that vaccinated 80% of rural children by 1965
Her work inspired similar programs across East Africa and remains a cornerstone of modern community health strategies. Worku's story is featured in the 2019 documentary Trailblazers of the Ethiopian Plateau (IMDb), highlighting her overlooked contributions to global public health.