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The 14th annual Katherine (Katie) Fleming International Development Award for 2013 has been awarded to a Ghanaian gender advocate, Mrs Afi Yakubu, Executive Director of Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA). The Katherine Fleming International Development Award was established by Katie's friends and family in 2000 to preserve the memory of a remarkable St. Francis Xavier Alumna who died in May 1999 in Tanzania while working with UNICEF. Katie dedicated her life's work to overcome child poverty in Africa. She made her career at the United Nations Children's Fund where she was an energetic and well-loved colleague. Her intelligence, clarity of vision, commitment to Human Rights and defense of children�s rights everywhere brought her steadily to jobs of increasing responsibility. Mrs Yakubu, described as an inspiration for women�s work, was awarded based on her contribution to gender advocacy, media engagement, community initiatives and other human rights activities. The award was presented at the Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. Presenting the award, David Bernatchez, a friend of Katherine Fleming described Mrs Yakubu as a worthy recipient. Mr Bernatchez said �Katie made us all better people.� In her acceptance speech, Mrs Yakubu said �I feel really honoured to have been selected to join 13 other accomplished African women who had stood here before me. �I pray that soon we will meet to learn from each other by sharing experiences that would re-energize our resolve to continue to work to keep the ideals of Katie alive for a long time. �From the little I have read about Katie I can comfortably say that there are a number of values we share. A distinct one I have spotted is our sensitivity to the plight of others and another is acting when we see injustice.� Narrating her life experiences, Mrs Yakubu said: �I had my first encounter with gender discrimination when I applied to the National Film and Television Institute to study scriptwriting and film directing. �The academic board (all men) told me to take an easier course because directing was for men. I had grown up in the midst of my brothers where I climbed trees, rode bicycles, threw stones and jumped with them. I had no problem with my gender and so with this background, I stood my ground before the board and defended my choice. �As part of my graduate project I decided to work on a documentary film on the dowry system and forced marriages in northern Ghana and it was judged the best student documentary film and won the Goethe Institute Award.� Mrs Yakubu noted: �I am happy to be the 14th recipient of this noble award in honour of a woman who joined the group of marathon runners with a common objective of running the social justice thread around our world. �Katie has run her race but those of us still on the tracks cannot afford to stop. I receive this award understanding that the race is a restless one and I will pledge my full energy to it�.