This year marks 10 years since Julia Gillard, 27th Prime Minister of Australia and inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, became Patron of CAMFED.
Since 2016, Julia has been an unwavering ally in advocacy and action for girls’ education and women’s leadership – amplifying CAMFED’s mission on the global stage and uplifting the voices of young women leading change in their communities across Africa.
2016 : Julia Gillard (middle left) with Angeline Murimirwa (now CAMFED CEO, then Executive Director- Africa) to her right, together with CAMFED Association leaders, CEO Lucy Lake and executive team members during a leadership summit in Johannesburg, when we welcomed Julia as Patron.
2026: Julia Gillard and Angeline (Angie) Murimirwa in conversation with CAMFED Association leaders in Malawi, discussing the past decade, and the opportunities and challenges ahead. Angie, who also co-founded the CAMFED Association, was named among TIME100’s most influential people in 2025.
Ten years ago, Julia met with many members of the CAMFED Association — Africa’s largest network of educated women leaders — in Johannesburg, South Africa to learn about their leadership, and their ambitions and aspirations for the future.
Earlier this month, she sat down for a conversation with CAMFED Association leaders in Malawi, discussing what has changed for women and girls in their communities over the past decade, how they are actively partnering with boys and men to achieve gender equality, and how nurturing sisterhood and friendships is critical throughout life to ride the storms that come with change.
