fostering conversation, KMG Ethiopia has taken an active role in pressing police to prosecute crimes such as bridal abduction. The practice has been illegal in Ethiopia since 2005, but in 2010 The Independent wrote that legal authorities outside the capital were loose in their application of law, with the first person to challenge her bridal abduction—a 13-year-old who could not prove she had been a virgin at the time of her kidnapping—being accused by her own defense attorney of inciting the rape. KMG has fostered support among women and men for victims, including persuading some to proactively intervene to prevent the act. According to The Independent, as of 2010 the rate of bridal abductions in the region had diminished by 90%. KMG Ethiopia also offers other services, including health care and school construction, as well as creating sports programs and tournaments for girls. It works for maternal care and family planning, founding the Mother and Child Health Centre in Durame. Beyond directly supporting women's rights and health issues, it is also an environmental activism organization, planting over eight million trees and working to provide potable water and sustainable electricity. To support its work, KMG collects an honorarium at community conversations and also raises money internationally, including from international charitable efforts like Comic Relief. As of 2013, KMG's activities had spread from its initial two kebele to 26 districts in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region and the Oromia Region. Honors Cofounder and executive director Bogaletch Gebre was awarded the 2005 North-South Prize and in 2007 the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. For her contributions to the development of Africa, Bogaletch Gebre was awarded the King Baudouin International Development Prize in May 2013, which she accepted on behalf of her colleagues at KMG Ethiopia. References Organizations established in 1997 Women's organisations based in Ethiopia Human rights organisations based in Ethiopia