Being a victim of female genital mutilation, married off at 14 and widowed at 21, she has continued to use her experiences to challenge these same practices.
She emerged winner after a rigorous selection process carried out by a committee led by a former President of Botswana, Dr Festus Mogae.
The pan-African committee, which had as members Ambassador Ms Mona Omar (North Africa), Ms Gwen Lister (Southern Africa), Mr Amadou Mahtar Ba (West Africa), Pastor Rigobert Minani Bihuzo (Central Africa), and Mr Kabiru Yusuf (West Africa), began sitting on December 10, 2020 and announced Mrs Sawo as the winner of the award on January 4, 2021.