![WHO Africa’s 1st woman leader helps continent fight COVID](https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/e327c42/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1688+0+156/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fafs-prod%2Fmedia%2F65eb672823104fcfbe1713687f2c5098%2F3000.jpeg)
WHO Africa’s 1st woman leader helps continent fight COVID
Associated PressBRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo — People stand when Dr. Matshidiso Moeti enters a room at the World Health Organization’s Africa headquarters in Republic of Congo. Small in stature, big in presence, Moeti is the first woman to lead WHO’s regional Africa office, the capstone of her trailblazing career in which she has overcome discrimination in apartheid South Africa to become one of the world’s top health administrators. As WHO Africa chief, Moeti initiates emergency responses to health crises in 47 of the continent’s countries and recommends policies to strengthen their health care systems. She has become one of the world’s most compelling voices urging better consideration of Africa’s people — especially women, who’ve in many ways been hit hardest by COVID.
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