Vital Voices and our partners of the ABWN mourn the passing of our colleague, Dr. Marguerite-Marie Limagnack Miko, an entrepreneur, medical professional, leader, wife, mother, and friend. An established social entrepreneur and respected leader, Marguerite gave of herself to help others, and brought a unique sense of grace, tenacity and strength to her efforts to bring economic and health opportunities to Cameroon.
Marguerite was a dental surgeon and epidemiologist by profession and received her training in France. In Germany, where she lived for three years, she was the Managing Director of a gender project on dental health and realized an International Report on the Mouth and Dental diseases special to Women.
Back in Cameroon, she founded her own dental practice in 2000 while actively taking part to preventive health campaigns in primary schools. She was the founding president and organizer of the SMILE association. Each year, SMILE sensitizes, screens, and treats nearly thousands of people and organizes Oral Health Days, for which an average of 60 dental surgeons from all around the country participate. Marguerite also trained dozens of female dental assistants who are now part of SMILE’s mobile dental clinic project. She also advocated for policies and programs to make affordable, quality dental health care more widely available across Cameroon.
Marguerite shared her dual passions for empowering women and community development through her involvement in national and regional associations. She was part of a network of women leaders across the continent and was often called upon to share her experiences with others. She served as Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cameroon, and was the founding President of the Cameroon Businesswomen’s Association (CBWN), part of the Africa Businesswomen’s Network (ABWN).
Marguerite is survived by her husband and two children. While she will be missed, we are all grateful for the opportunity to have known her.