Thato Kgatlhanye, South Africa
Photo credit: Lionesses of Africa
At 18 years old, Thato Kgatlhanye founded Rethaka, a social enterprise that produces recycled schoolbags that double as solar-powered lights that children can use to study at night. The company has 20 permanent employees and supplies its products to organizations, such as Standard Bank, Red Bull, Unilever, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Kgatlhanye, 24, has received numerous awards, including the ELLE International Impact Award.
