What do a mentor-turned-educator in Zambia, a physics teacher championing STEM education in Kenya, and a founding CAMFED Association member in Zimbabwe have in common?

They’re all shaping the future of education, lesson by lesson.

According to the UN, the “single most influential variable” in a student’s learning outcomes is a qualified teacher. That’s why our current series is highlighting education changemakers from three regions worldwide: Asia, Africa, and the Americas. 

In our first part of this series, we met educators who are transforming learning across Asia. We heard from inspiring leaders like school principals championing their love of reading and math in classrooms, village teachers partnering with parents to foster a love of learning in the whole community, and advocates incorporating positive psychology and student-centered learning into the curriculum.

This week, hear directly from some of the changemakers in Africa who are supporting marginalized students and making learning more accessible.

Helping Zambian students reach their full potential

Elizabeth Mpumba knows that each of her students is unique. “Every child has different circumstances and therefore needs different solutions,” she says. As a newly qualified teacher, she hopes she will have “ears to listen, patience, and the wisdom” to help.

Elizabeth’s focus was on learners from the start. She began by volunteering as a CAMFED Learner Guide at her local secondary school, then as an Agriculture Guide before becoming a teacher. Now, she brings her mentoring skills to class. Teaching isn’t just about managing students and conducting lessons, she says. It’s about helping every child reach their full potential—and becoming a better citizen along the way.

“Education can change your whole outlook on life from bad to good. An educated person has dreams that are inspired and will strive for greatness. When people are educated, they contribute significantly to families, communities, and society in many different ways.” — Elizabeth Mpumba

Supporting access to science education in Kenya

“Teachers often say things like, ‘Wow! I wish I could have come across PhET earlier,’ says physics teacher Godfrey Odhiambo. Teachers tell him the technology will “brighten the faces of learners” by making STEM lessons more interactive.

Godfrey has seen how PhET simulations help both students and teachers. But he also knows that help needs to come with training. In his role as PhET Fellow, he gives workshops at secondary schools across Kenya, including two that support deaf or visually impaired students. He’s trained more than 200 teachers, encouraging them to share best practices that will brighten everyone’s faces.

“The teachers undergo intensive training for about five weeks. Through communities of practice, teachers continue to share among each other best practices and how to best design and implement PhET simulation-based lessons.” – Godfrey Odhiambo

Ensuring girls equal opportunities in Zimbabwe

Lucia Punungwe is a founding CAMFED Association member, businesswoman, and math teacher, who also studied public relations and human resources. But when she was a child, she had no shoes to walk to school in. Nor could her family always afford the fees. CAMFED changed all that.

Lucia says there are many more girls out there just like her. Working with CAMFED Learner and Transition Guides, she helps young women to complete school, start businesses, find employment or get into further education. Together, they hope to make lasting change.

 “I see a lot of ‘Lucias',” she remarks. “I hope I inspire them.”

“Getting educated is a right. It is a right that will untie us as women from the snares of such things as gender inequality. Poverty cycles will be broken. Educate a girl and you educate the whole nation and the world. Break barriers and open paths to walk through for the next generation." — Lucia Punungwe

Read our final part of the series

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Photo credits: CAMFED