WIA Philanthropy Spotlight: Fana Haregot
2026 Young Leader
We are extremely happy to begin the 2026 Spotlight series with you, Fana!
Can you tell us briefly who you are and what you do?
My name is Fana Haregot, a chemical engineer, entrepreneur, and social impact leader from Tigray, Ethiopia. I am the Founder and CEO of Fana Hygiene Solutions, a social enterprise making affordable hygiene products accessible to communities while creating employment opportunities, particularly for women.
My journey is rooted in a simple belief: hygiene is not a luxury, but a necessity, and where you come from should not determine what you can achieve. After the war in Tigray disrupted our operations, I chose to rebuild rather than give up. Today, I am working to grow our business, empower women through employment, and improve access to essential hygiene products. Through my work, I hope to show that local businesses can be powerful drivers of recovery, dignity, and lasting social change.
What inspired you to start your journey or project?
My brother.
When I was a child, my younger brother kept getting sick. Not because of something rare or complicated,because our family couldn’t always afford soap. Those illnesses were preventable. Hygiene just wasn’t reachable.
That experience never left me. When I studied chemical engineering, I made a decision: I wasn’t going to just understand chemistry, I was going to use it to make sure no family had to choose between eating and staying clean.
That is why I founded Fana Hygiene Solutions. And that is why I keep going,even through conflict, even through rebuilding, even through every obstacle that comes with being a woman manufacturing in a post-conflict region.
The mission is personal. And personal missions don’t stop.
What are the key achievements or milestones you’re most proud of?
Rebuilding after war is the achievement I am most proud of not because it was impressive, but because it was necessary. When conflict forced us to stop production, communities lost access to affordable hygiene. Restarting wasn’t just a business decision. It was a responsibility.
Beyond that, the milestones that matter most to me are the ones measured in people:
250,000 WASH beneficiaries reached through our chlorine solution supplied to a CRS-led safe water programme across 10 woredas.
75% women in our workforce women from underserved communities in Tigray who now have stable income and dignity.
30–50% savings for families who refill rather than buy new making hygiene a daily reality, not an occasional luxury.
And the recognition that followed Best Female Entrepreneur of the Year, Emerging Young Entrepreneur of the Year during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025, YALI alumna, Vital Voices Global Fellow, these matter because they amplify the story of what is possible when women manufacture, not just consume.
But if I’m honest? The milestone I am most proud of is still ahead of me. We are just getting started.
Can you share with us one personal quote or belief that guides you?
“Dignity can be manufactured, distributed, refilled, and shared.”
This is the belief that drives everything I do. We tend to think of dignity as something intangible something you earn or are given. But I have seen firsthand that when a family can afford soap, when a girl has access to menstrual hygiene products, when a community has clean water dignity becomes something real and tangible. Something you can hold in your hands.
That is why I manufacture. Not just products. Dignity.
What advice would you give to other young women who want to create impact?
Build something real.
The world has enough plans, pitches, and presentations. What Africa needs are women who make things who show up, get their hands dirty, and create something tangible that their community can touch, use, and benefit from.
Don’t wait for perfect conditions. I built a company in one of the most underserved regions in Ethiopia. I paused during a war and restarted with almost nothing. Perfect conditions are a myth. Your mission is not.
And don’t let anyone shrink your ambition to fit their comfort. Women are told to start small, stay local, be grateful for what we have. I say: think continental. Build for scale. Manufacture with purpose.
The world doesn’t need more women who are told they can lead. It needs more women who build the proof.
What are you currently working on or planning next?
Right now I am focused on three things.
Scaling production, we are growing from 20,000 to 300,000 litres per month and expanding into new markets across the Horn of Africa, including Afar, Amhara, and eventually Eritrea and Sudan.
Expanding into menstrual hygiene ,this is the next frontier for Fana Hygiene Solutions. Access to menstrual hygiene products remains one of the most overlooked barriers to girls’ education and women’s dignity in our region. We are working to change that.
Paris in November ,as a WIA Young Leaders Class of 2026 member, I will be joining the programme in Paris, where I look forward to learning from and collaborating with an extraordinary community of African women leaders. I am bringing my story, my mission, and my ambition and I intend to leave with the networks and conversations that will shape the next chapter of Fana Hygiene Solutions.
The work is just getting started. And I have never been more ready.
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