Stockholm: Tanzanian Ambassador to Tanzania, Mobhare Matinyi, has congratulated, Miriam Shangali, a student of Dr. Samia Secondary School in Dodoma, for winning the 2025 Young Courage Award.
Speaking to the student at the embassy in Stockholm, Ambassador Matinyi congratulated her for showing creativity, effort, compassion and leadership to her fellow students in the country to the extent of being recognized internationally as the only young person from Africa to receive the award.
The student, who won the award, was awarded by the Raoul Wallenberg Academy in collaboration with the Swedish Institute following her contribution to improving the safe menstrual environment for girls through the creation of washable menstrual towels.
Miriam, a Form Six science student, designed special menstrual towels using low-cost resources and brought about a significant change in the health and school attendance of her classmates while personally providing the education and distributing the environmentally friendly towels.
Explaining her efforts, she said she took the step due to the hardship she herself experienced while in Form One. Miriam was awarded the award at a ceremony held on August 27, 2025 in Stockholm.
The awards are given to young people between the ages of 13 – 20, who have shown courage and creativity in various sectors with the aim of changing the lives of the communities around them.
This year, the awards have been given to 12 young people from 11 countries: Australia, Canada, Greece, Hungary, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Sweden (2) and Tanzania.
