Zimbabwean head of UK-based charity wins prestigious Africa Education Medal

By Agencies

The Zimbabwean CEO of a charity that tackles poverty and inequality in five African countries through girls’ education has been awarded the Africa Education Medal 2024.

Angeline Murimirwa is the CEO of UK-registered CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education), which was founded in Cambridge and Zimbabwe.

It now has 7,044 partner schools in underserved rural communities in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Ghana.

Murimirwa, one of the first girls in Zimbabwe who was helped to attend secondary school by the charity, said she was “deeply honoured” by the award.

“I am deeply honoured by this recognition and want to pay special tribute to T4 Education and HP for highlighting Africa’s education champions,” she said.

“This medal belongs to our entire movement – to every single person whose commitment to education drives them to go further and do better every day. The need is great, and we cannot do this alone – together we’re raising the flag for a more equitable world.”

Murimirwa was selected from a competitive pool of finalists, including leaders from various educational initiatives across Africa. Last year the award was one by Nigerian Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa, part of the Nobel Peace Prize-nominated JA Worldwide, one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs that prepares young people for the future of work.

‘Vital work’

The Africa Education Medal was founded by T4 Education and HP Inc, external and is one of three World Education Medals.

Mayank Dhingra, senior education business leader at HP, congratulated Murimirwa, and said: “Her vital work has led the way in breaking down barriers to girls in education.

“We know that so many others will be inspired to follow in her footsteps, to build a world where every child receives the quality education that is their right.”

The vast majority of girls in rural Africa never complete secondary school, according to CAMFED.

Their exclusion from education plays out at every stage of a young woman’s life and is passed on to future generations.

The charity helps schools tackle the impediments to marginalised girls’ school attendance, as well as partnering with governments to help them develop education that better serves the needs of girls.

Once they graduate, it enables them to transition to work or entrepreneurship and provides a platform for them to step up as leaders to support younger generations of girls.

Murimirwa was the first elected chair of the CAMFED Association — a pan-African network of 279,000 women leaders educated with CAMFED support.

Each member financially supports at least three other girls in their community to help them stay in school.

“The need is great, and we cannot do this alone – together we’re raising the flag for a more equitable world,” she said.