Shamim: Soaring as an education and mental health advocate
Having completed secondary school in Malawi with CAMFED’s support, I’m now an unstoppable leader–driving transformation alongside my sisters in Kenya.
CAMFED graduate named Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Youth Leader for 2026
Linda Dassah, an unstoppable leader in the CAMFED Association from Ghana, has been selected as a Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Youth Leader.
Growing up in a low-income household in Loho, a rural community in Ghana, Linda experienced firsthand the financial barriers that prevent many girls from accessing education. With the support of CAMFED and her school community, Linda went on to be the first woman in her family to complete tertiary education, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University for Development Studies.
Now serving as a powerful role model to disadvantaged young people, Linda brings a wealth of lived experience and expertise to the role. Her selection recognizes her unwavering commitment to improving education outcomes for the next generation, especially girls from the most disadvantaged communities in rural Africa.
Education is not just about access to knowledge. It is about dignity, agency, inclusion, and the power to shape our own future.Linda Dassah, GPE Youth Leader and CAMFED Association member, Ghana
Linda Dassah, Ghana
“l am proud to be part of the sisterhood creating change in my community.”
Linda’s lived experience fuels her commitment to education equity, youth participation, gender equality, and social justice. With more than five years of experience across education, governance, civic engagement, and sustainable development, she has worked with local and international organizations to amplify youth voices.
As a CAMFED Association leader, Linda has dedicated her time to advancing girls’ education and young women’s leadership, serving as a Learner Guide and returning to her former school as a mentor and role model for girls in her community.
Linda serves as an AU-EU Young Researcher, Youth Advisor to the European Union Delegation in Ghana and vice board chair of Curious Minds Ghana, where she provides strategic guidance and advocates for youth inclusive policies. She is also a Theirworld Fellow, an Emerging Public Leader and a member of Chatham House’s Common Futures ConversationsCommunity. Through these platforms, she contributes to policy discussions on education, youth participation, governance, and sustainable development at national, regional, and global levels.
Through these platforms, she contributes to policy discussions on education, youth participation, governance, and sustainable development at national, regional, and global levels.
Read Linda’s profile on the GPE websiteBeyond her institutional roles, Linda is passionate about community-driven development and youth-led solutions. She is the founder of Nma Dreams, a grassroots initiative that has supported 60 girls with school materials and mentorship, helping them stay in school and pursue their dreams. She also led GreenMinds, a youth-led environmental initiative that has reached more than 1,500 students through environmental education programs.
Linda follows in the footsteps of her CAMFED Association sisters, Cleopatra Chinsaga from Zambia and Shamim Chuwe from Kenya, who served as a GPE Youth Leader in 2025-26, and Eliza Chikoti from Malawi, who served as a GPE Youth Leader in 2023-24. In her role, Linda will continue amplifying rural young women’s voices on the global stage and help to shape a more equitable future for education worldwide.
Hear from more inspiring women leaders in our sisterhood
Cleopatra: Graduating school has lifted me and my family out of poverty
I’m Cleopatra, a CAMFED Association member and GPE Youth Leader. I’m advocating for education and supporting community resilience, inspiring change in Zambia and around the world.
Eliza Chikoti
My name is Eliza Chikoti, I come from Neno District, Malawi. I am the 6th born in a family of 8 children. Growing up in a rural village, we were very poor. In 2012 when I was in Form 3, everything changed when CAMFED started supporting me.