The Noël Foundation "Life" Award Honorees

Mother Teresa
Founder of the Missionaries of Charity, Calcutta, India

Mother Teresa was called a "Living Saint" during her lifetime for her selfless work serving God and the poorest of the poor. Through the society she founded there are now more than 5,000 religious and countless lay co-workers continuing her legacy of "compassion and love". On the path for the cause for canonization, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II to be "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta."

‘The Most Honourable’ Lady Margaret Thatcher
Prime Minister of Great Britain

Margaret Thatcher was Britain's first female prime minister and served three consecutive terms in office. She was one of the dominant political figures of 20th century Britain, and Thatcherism continues today to have a great influence.

Her Excellency Maria Corazon C. Aquino
President of the Philippines

Corazon Aquino was sworn into office in 1986, becoming the first female president of the Philippines and was subsequently named TIME magazine's Woman of the Year. In a country marred by corruption, human rights violations and political repression she restored democracy, promulgated a new constitution, and served until 1992.

Her Excellency Benazir Bhutto
Prime Minister of Pakistan

Benazir Bhutto was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state, having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988-1990 & 1993-1996). Noted for her compassion, charismatic authority and political astuteness, Benazir Bhutto drove initiatives for Pakistan's economy and national security, and implemented social capitalist policies for industrial development and growth.

Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland
Prime Minister of Norway

Gro Harlem Brundtland served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway in the 1980s and ’90s and later was Director General of the World Health Organization. A medical doctor and Master of Public Health, in 1983 she became chair of the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, which issued Our Common Future, the report that introduced the idea of 'sustainable development' and led to the first Earth Summit.

Her Excellency Mary Robinson
President of Ireland

Mary Robinson was the first woman President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; a passionate, forceful advocate for gender equality, women’s participation in peace-building and human dignity. She also formed the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice.

Helen Suzman
Member of Parliament, Anti-Apartheid Activist-South Africa

Helen Suzman was a civil rights activist turned politician in her effort to bring about change. She was the only female Member of Parliament & only member to vote to end apartheid in South Africa. She was awarded 27 honorary doctorates from universities and received countless other awards from religious and human rights organizations around the world for her work against apartheid.

Adelaide "Mama" Tambo
Anti-apartheid Activist, South Africa

Adelaide Tambo, a prominent anti-apartheid activist and human rights campaigner was one of the best known figures in South Africa's liberation struggle against apartheid. Ms. Tambo worked as a nurse for much of her life helping the elderly and disabled children. She became a member of South Africa's democratically elected parliament from 1994 to 1999. In 1997 she was awarded the Order of Simon of Cyrene, for her work for the Anglican Church and disadvantaged communities.

Elizabeth Glaser
AIDS Activist, USA

Elizabeth became an AIDS activist after becoming infected through an HIV-contaminated blood transfusion in 1981 while giving birth to her daughter. Unknowingly, through breastfeeding the disease was transmitted to her child who subsequently lost her life due to the illness. In an effort to raise awareness she co-founded the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and spurred funding for the development of pediatric AIDS drugs and research.

Dr. Christiane Dosne Pasqualini
Medical Research, Argentina

Dr. Christiane Pasqualini, highly respected for her research in leukemia & the immunological aspects of cancer organized the Leukemia Experimental Institute of Hematologic Research. Her research to determine the origin of the cancer cell function of the immune system during tumor growth was groundbreaking. Dr. Pasqualini became the first woman to become a member of the National Academy of Medicine in Buenos Aires.

Marianne Buggenhagen
Paralympian Athlete, East Berlin

A paraplegic at 23 Marianne won 4 gold medals at the age of 38 in the discus, javelin, shot putt and pentathlon at the Paralympics in Barcelona. She holds 130 national titles in German sports for the handicapped. Today with nine gold Paralympics medals and a number of World and European champion titles to her name, Marianne is an inspiration to millions with disabilities.

Rosa Parks
Civil Rights Pioneer, USA

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger, spurring the Montgomery boycott and other efforts to end segregation. Known as the mother of the modern day civil rights movement, her quiet act of courage and strength changed the course of history. "You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right."

Dharma Master Cheng Yen
Founder Tzu Chi Foundation, Taiwan

As head of a small Buddhist temple in Taiwan, her followers number over four million. Her work and influence through the Tzu Chi Foundation provides disaster relief for victims throughout the world, from sending truckloads of food and clothing to building hospitals, colleges and developing educational, social, and cultural programs for the needy.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Founder, Special Olympics International, USA

A leader in the worldwide struggle to improve and enhance the lives of individuals with mental retardation for over three decades, Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded Special Olympics, which began in 1968 and attracts more than a million participants every year to competitions in 150 countries and in all 50 states in the United States.

Judge Navanethem Pillay
President International Criminal Tribunal, South Africa

Judge Pillay was the first non-white woman judge of the High Court of South Africa and served as judge of the International Criminal Court and President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Credited with making rape a war crime, she co-founded the Advice Desk for the Abused and ran a shelter for victims of domestic violence. She contributed to the inclusion in South Africa's Constitution of an equality clause prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of race, religion and sexual orientation.

Dr. Hadassa Degani
Cancer Research, Weizmann Institute, Israel

Professor Degani developed a non-invasive method to differentiate between cancerous tumors of the breast and benign tissue based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).This technique helped to reduce the need for invasive biopsy examinations while allowing doctors a better understanding of the efficacy of a specific drug treatment.

Audrey Hepburn
Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF

Through her work with UNICEF, she used her image and the great interest people had in her to attract world attention to the plight of starving children around the globe. Her fund-raising efforts for UNICEF and work in Ethiopia, the Sudan, El Salvador and Bangladesh became a beacon of hope to children ravaged by famine, draught and civil-war.

Sherry Lansing
Chair/CEO
Paramount Pictures and Humanitarian, USA

Ms. Lansing was the first woman chairman of a major motion picture studio. A former high school teacher Ms. Lansing had a strong belief in the power of education to create lasting social change. She established a foundation dedicated to cancer research, education, art and culture and a program designed to engage retirees in improving the state of public education through targeted volunteerism.