Activist and Organization Fostering 'Female Leadership' in Africa Win 18th Seoul Peace Prize

Angeline Murimirwa, a female education activist from Zimbabwe, and the educational organization CAMFED International have been selected as co-recipients of the Seoul Peace Prize. They were recognized for significantly expanding girls’ educational opportunities in disadvantaged regions of Africa and for building a strong women’s leadership network.

Angelin Murmirwa, a female education activist from Zimbabwe, was selected as a co-recipient of the 18th Seoul Peace Prize. Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation

On September 30, the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation (Chairman Park Jeongchan) announced that activist Angeline Murimirwa and the organization that supported her, CAMFED, were chosen as the co-recipients of the 18th Seoul Peace Prize. The Foundation explained that the winners were selected because of their contributions to expanding women’s right to education, strengthening women’s economic self-reliance and social participation, and thus helping to mitigate entrenched social inequalities stemming from poverty and gender discrimination.

Gu Jayoul, Chair of the Seoul Peace Prize Selection Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors at LS Group, stated, "Their efforts started by enabling just one girl to attend school; that girl then became a community leader, and in turn, supported the education of the next generation, creating a multiplier effect for education."

Murimirwa, who comes from a rural area of Zimbabwe, was on the verge of dropping out of secondary school due to poverty but was able to continue her studies with support from CAMFED. In 1998, she co-founded the CAMFED Association with about 400 other CAMFED graduates, serving as the first chairperson and helping to lay the organizational foundation to support female students. This network has since expanded to six African countries and, as of the end of last year, has grown into a women’s leadership network with more than 350,000 members.

Murimirwa served as Chief Executive Officer of CAMFED International in 2023. She especially helped women who completed CAMFED’s educational programs return to their communities and address challenges such as dropping out of school, child marriage, early pregnancy, and poverty. Last year alone, 46,000 young people received training, and a total of 4.67 million children from around 8,000 schools received support. Upon hearing the news of the award, Murimirwa stated, "I am deeply moved and honored by this prestigious recognition," adding, "Building a world where every young person feels a sense of belonging, understands their own value, and gets the opportunity to shape their own future is how we create sustainable peace."

Students from a secondary school in the Shiwang'andu region of Zambia, together with Angeline Murimirwa (center). Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation

CAMFED, the organization that supported Murimirwa, was also selected as a co-recipient. Since 1993, the organization has been dedicated to ensuring that girls born into poverty can transition ‘from beneficiaries to leaders’ by fostering virtuous cycles of educational empowerment. CAMFED has also worked in partnership with national governments to drive structural changes in education systems. As of last year, the organization had supported the education of approximately 9.3 million children and provided secondary education opportunities to 2.9 million girls. Beneficiaries who became CAMFED members have, in turn, supported the next generation, forming a sustainable growth model.

The recipients will each receive a certificate, a prize trophy, and an award of 100,000 dollars (approximately 135 million won). The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in Seoul this November.

The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the spirit of the 24th Seoul Olympic Games held in 1988. Presented biennially, it honors individuals and organizations who have contributed to world peace and human welfare. Previous recipients who subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize include Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, and Dr. Denis Mukwege, Director of Panzi Hospital in DR Congo.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.