Lucy Lake joined CAMFED in 1994, shortly after it was founded to support girls in secondary school in Zimbabwe. She’s devoted her career there to leading innovative and extensive programs to give every girl the chance to fulfil their potential through education. Lucy has seen the organization support more than six million children to go to school in Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Every step CAMFED has taken since its foundation has been to help girls and women take charge of their own destinies. This transformative approach has fostered the development of a new generation of female leaders in Africa. With Lucy at the helm, CAMFED launched its flagship Learner Guide program, through which young women volunteer in their local schools as mentors and role models for girls at risk of dropping out. Learner Guides also deliver a structured life skills and self-development curriculum called My Better World, co-developed with children and young women. For vulnerable girls, it’s a lifeline of academic, social, and emotional support. While for the volunteers, it’s a pathway to leadership. They gain access to interest-free loans and business training, and can earn a vocational (BTEC) qualification to use as a stepping stone to teacher training or employment.

Under Lucy’s leadership, CAMFED’s way of working focused on bringing data, evidence, and research findings directly from its partner communities, and sharing them back with parents and education stakeholders, celebrating their collective achievements for girls. When meeting with policymakers, the organization uses that data to support communities and reinforce government accountability to every marginalized girl. CAMFED’s model means solutions are local, cost effective, and supported from many angles—winning champions among ministries of education at every level.

In January 2023, Lucy stepped aside as CAMFED’s CEO and passed the baton to Angeline Murimirwa, demonstrating the organization’s commitment to African women’s leadership in the decisions that affect their lives.

Education is a right, not a privilege. And few people have worked as hard as Angeline (Angie) Murimirwa to make that statement true for all girls.

Angie was one of the first young women to receive support from CAMFED to go to secondary school in Zimbabwe. She’s now its CEO, driving the organization onward with her unwavering commitment to serving marginalized girls and young women in rural sub-Saharan Africa.

For years, she has steadfastly worked towards a world where women are champions from within the system, advocating for critical investments, and driving reform at the system level. To this end, she co-founded the CAMFED Association, a peer support and leadership network of young women educated with CAMFED support in 1998. This network now numbers more than 254,000 women, a pan-African movement for girls’ education activists spearheading CAMFED’s programs.

Under Angie’s leadership, the future of CAMFED is rapidly taking shape. In 2023, CAMFED was selected by The Audacious Project for its plan to transform the lives of millions of girls in sub-Saharan Africa, helping them succeed in secondary school and beyond.

And, as the influence of the organization continues to expand, CAMFED is looking to integrate the Learner Guide role into national education systems with the help and support of government ministries.

Angie—recognized as one of the 100 most influential women by the BBC—also represents CAMFED on the Zimbabwe Education Coordination Group.