Angeline Murimirwa

Angeline Murimirwa
Murimirwa in 2025
Born
Angeline Mugwendere

1980 (age 45–46)
Denhere, Zimbabwe
Known forChief Executive Officer for CAMFED in Africa

Angeline Murimirwa (née Mugwendere) is a Zimbabwean feminist, who is currently the Chief Executive Officer for CAMFED in Africa.[1][2] Murimirwa was included in the TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people of 2025.[3]

Career

Born in 1980,[4] Murimirwa grew up in Denhere in rural Zimbabwe. In the 1990s, she was one of the first girls to be given a scholarship by CAMFED for her secondary school education, which included monetary support, her school uniform, shoes and schooling equipment.[5][6][7][8]

Before her appointment as Executive Director – Africa, Murimirwa worked as the regional executive director for CAMFED in Southern & Eastern Africa.[7][9] In 1998, Murimirwa helped set up the CAMFED Association (CAMA), which began with a few hundred women. By the beginning of 2025, there were 312,747 members.[10] In 2005, Murimirwa presented at a Global Exchange forum, and in 2006, she was awarded the prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life by the Women's World Summit Foundation.[6] Murimirwa was featured in the 2009 book Half the Sky by Pulitzer Prize winning novelists Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof.[8][7] In 2014, she spoke at an event with Michelle Obama.[7] In 2016, Murimirwa attended a CAMFED event where Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister of Australia, became a patron of the organisation. During the event, Murimirwa stated that "Locally tailored solutions, respectful of context and building on local resources, are key to our success."[11] In 2017, Murimirwa was included in the 2017 BBC 100 Women list of the most influential women[12] and she was awarded the 2017 Diamond Ball Honors Award by the Clara Lionel Foundation. At the event, Murimirwa spoke about her personal journey from poverty to her current role at CAMFED, and Murimirwa dedicated the award to the "100,000 CAMFED Association members". The event was attended by celebrities including Dave Chappelle, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and Calvin Harris.[9][13][14] In 2018, during a Royal Visit to Zambia, Prince Harry met with Murimirwa.[15] In 2019, Murimirwa delivered her first TED Talk: “How repaying loans with social service transforms communities.”[16] In 2020, Murimirwa was awarded the Yidan Prize for Education Development for promoting development of education.[17] In 2023, she delivered her second Ted Talk: "School is just the start. Here's how to help girls succeed for life."[18] In 2024, Murimirwa was named the winner of the prestigious Africa Education Medal 2024, recognizing her as an extraordinary leader, working tirelessly to transform African education.[19]


Personal life

Murimirwa is married with four children.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Our team – CAMFED – Campaign for Female Education". camfed.org. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  2. ^ "The story of Angeline (Angie) Murimirwa". CAMFED. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  3. ^ "TIME100: The most influential people of 2025". TIME. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  4. ^ Sharma, Satish (22 April 2025). "Angeline Murimirwa: Biography, Age, Career, Family, Awards". Leader Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  5. ^ "How one advocate uses her own story to build trust in girls' education". New Zimbabwe. 23 May 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Angeline Murimirwa – Regional Executive Director (Southern Africa), CAMFED – DFID Girl Summit 2014". The Communication Initiative Network. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e Weiner, Joanna (12 December 2014). "A dynamic African woman lives up to Michelle Obama's call to give girls the chance to go to school". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  8. ^ a b Cotton, Ann (20 August 2012). "Education: An Unstoppable Tide". Half the Sky Movement. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Angeline Murimirwa accepts award from Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation". Cambridge Network. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  10. ^ "CAMFED's 2024 Annual Review" (PDF). CAMFED. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  11. ^ Sweeney, Kate (10 February 2016). "Julia Gillard boosts CAMFED's female education fight". Business Weekly. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  12. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2017: Who is on the list?". BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  13. ^ Bruner, Raisa (15 September 2017). "What It's Like Inside Rihanna's Power Player-Filled Diamond Ball". Time. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  14. ^ "Rihanna Foundation Honours Zimbabwean Woman". PA Zimbabwe. 18 September 2017. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  15. ^ Perry, Simon (23 November 2018). "How Prince Harry Is Carrying on Meghan Markle's Campaign for Girls' Empowerment in Africa". People. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  16. ^ "How repaying loans with social service transforms communities". TED. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  17. ^ "CAMFED female education ambassadors awarded Yidan Prize". Business Weekly. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  18. ^ "School is just the start. Here's how to help girls succeed for life". TED. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  19. ^ "Angie Murimirwa, CEO of CAMFED, wins Africa Education Medal". CAMFED. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
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