Anteneh Roba, IFA President and members of the Board of Directors are available to speak to interested groups about the various IFA projects and the critical problems being addressed by IFA. All honorariums are donated to the IFA. For more information or to schedule a speaker for your group or event, contact Dr. Roba.

Anteneh Roba, M.D.

It all started with a fur ball called Nikita, a 9-pound dog, a Maltese, who came into my life in 1999.The strong bond I formed with this little innocent creature and the lessons of unconditional love, loyalty, patience, and commitment I learned from his presence in my life have led me down a path of reverence for all life and an intense commitment to protect and fight for those who, for reasons of health , poverty, age, or belonging to a certain species, class, sex, color, or creed, cannot protect themselves.

My first initiation in to the world of compassion and suffering stared in 2003 when I returned to my motherland, Ethiopia. There, I saw babies dying of diseases that were treatable and preventable. I saw animals being needlessly tortured, as they are elsewhere. I saw homeless little children sleeping on concrete. When I returned to the United States, I realized what my mission was in life, and the idea of the International Fund for Africa was born, in memory of my mother who died in 1961.

I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My father being a career diplomat, I traveled extensively with my parents to parts of Africa, Europe, and the U.S. when I was a child.

After graduating from St. Joseph’s High School in Addis Ababa, I attended Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, studied medicine in Romania, and did a residency in emergency medicine in Washington, D.C.

I have been a board certified emergency-room physician since 1988, practicing in Houston, Texas.

My extra-professional activities include promoting a vegan diet by giving lectures on the health benefits of veganism, working with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine by writing articles in medical journals, and participating in Vegan World Radio!, a radio show in Houston , Texas, dedicated to promoting veganism and animal protection. I am also involved in rescuing, sheltering and finding homes for abused and homeless dogs.

I currently live in Houston, Texas, with my dogs Nikita, Lucky, Sasha, Duke and my new Ethiopian rescue Suzie Q.