Angeline Murimirwa, Zimbabwean curbing poverty, injustice through girls’ education

…Receives Africa Education Medal 2024

Poverty, inequality and injustice are some of the challenges limiting youth development in the African continent.

Angeline Murimirwa, chief executive officer of CAMFED, a pan-African, grassroots-led NGO has through various programmes dedicated to girls’ education and women’s leadership training, tackled poverty, inequality and injustice.

This selfless service has earned her the 2024 Africa Education Medal, Africa’s most prestigious education accolade. The Africa Education Medal recognises the tireless work of those who are transforming education across the continent celebrating the stories of those who have lit the spark of change so others will be inspired to take up the torch.

Mayank Dhingra, senior education business leader at HP, said Angeline Murimirwa’s vital work has led the way in breaking barriers to girls in education.

Dhingra said the award will inspire other young people to follow in her footsteps of building a world where every child receives a quality education.

Vikas Pota, founder/CEO of T4 Education, said the Africa Education Medal honours the leaders working tirelessly to transform African education.

Pota said to meet UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 of universal quality education, ending learning poverty, closing learning gaps, and unlocking the continent’s potential, Africa must give a platform to changemakers from across society.

Murimirwa said she was honoured by the recognition and pays special tribute to T4 Education and HP for highlighting Africa’s education champions.

“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,” she said.

Murimirwa was a founding member and first elected chair of the CAMFED Association, a pan-African network of 279,000 women leaders educated with CAMFED support and united in their determination to secure every girl’s right to quality education.

Each member of the Association is financially supporting at least three other girls in their community to help them stay in school – a huge multiplier.

T4 Education and HP are working together to empower and equip all those who want to transform education so they can break down barriers, close learning gaps, advance digital skills, use EdTech to drive innovation, and encourage new thinking.

The medallist for this year’s Africa Education Medal will be invited to attend the World Schools Summit in Dubai on 23-24 November, in recognition of the urgent need to solve the teacher recruitment and retention crisis.

The winner will be entitled to nominate a school of choice to receive membership of T4 Education’s Best School to Work programme an independent, evidence-based mechanism to certify schools for their culture and help them transform their working environment to attract and retain the best teachers.

Nominations for the Africa Education Medal opened in February 2024 for individuals working to improve pre-kindergarten, K-12, vocational and university education who are either educators or school leaders, civil society leaders, public servants, government officials, political leaders, entrepreneurs, business leaders, or technologists.

In its third year, the competition is the oldest of the three World Education Medals established by T4 Education and HP.

The Medallist was chosen by a Jury comprising prominent individuals based on rigorous criteria.