In April 2026, the Skoll World Forum in Oxford brought together global changemakers, including members of the CAMFED Association, Africa’s fastest growing network of educated women leaders, who spearhead our programs.
From interactive classrooms to global policy discussions, we saw how leadership, courage, and vision multiply opportunity and drive real systems transformation across generations.
This year’s Skoll World Forum was a powerful reminder that when girls and young women lead change in their schools, communities and beyond, we all benefit — boys and men included.
CAMFED Association members during CAMFED’s interactive Learner Guide session at Skoll World Forum 2026.
On Thursday, graduates in the CAMFED Association — the network of young women leaders educated with CAMFED’s support — brought our peer-led mentorship (Learner Guide) program to life through a unique and interactive session.
During “Inside a Ghanaian Classroom: Where Learning Becomes Leadership,” led by expert Learner Guides (peer mentors) Ernestina and Jemimah, participants stepped into the learners’ shoes to experience first-hand how CAMFED’s life skills and wellbeing program supports children to set goals, increase agency and plan for a better future, for themselves and their communities.
The session was an immersive journey into the thinking, reflection, and shared purpose that supports girls to multiply opportunity in their communities — demonstrating what young women’s leadership in action truly looks like.
Watch the Learner Guide session recap video
The role of the Learner Guide goes beyond the classroom and into the community — we create safe spaces for girls to learn and thrive. When young women lead, systems change, communities come together and people are willing to adopt the model.Jemimah, CAMFED Association leader, Ghana
On the main stage, CAMFED CEO Angeline Murimirwa joined global education leaders Gabriela Rocha (CEO and Co-Founder, Laboratoria), Zia Akhter Abbas (CEO, The Citizens Foundation) and Shabana Basij-Rasikh (Founder, School of Leadership Afghanistan) to discuss how best to support girls to thrive in the classroom and successfully transition into the workforce.
Reflecting on the founding of the CAMFED Association in July 1998, Angeline shared how a collective commitment among 400 young women to support one another — and future generations — laid the foundation for a powerful sisterhood. Today, that network continues to build social capital, enabling young women to grow in confidence, agency and leadership.
The discussion highlighted a critical insight: access to education alone is not enough – what matters is what comes next.
Through the CAMFED Association, young women graduates step into roles as peer mentors, entrepreneurs and community leaders. Drawing on their lived experience, they are uniquely positioned to support others and drive sustainable change within their communities.
The impact is far-reaching. On average, each young woman supported by CAMFED goes on to financially support three others to attend school, while mentoring and inspiring many more — creating a multiplier effect that expands access to opportunity for the next generation.
Watch the Skoll World Forum panel on Youtube
At an event hosted by World Bicycle Relief, we came together with Fika, One Acre Fund, Living Goods, IDinsight and Spring Impact, to explore how mobility solutions can help expand access to opportunity for rural communities.
Eliza Chikoti, a CAMFED Association leader from Malawi, shared powerful insights on the realities of reaching rural communities safely, reliably and affordably — inviting decision makers in the room to not only invest in more bikes for young people, but also improve road infrastructure and the distance children have to travel in order to access school.
Drawing on her lived experience, Eliza underscored how distance remains a critical barrier to girls’ education, and how access to bicycles can be transformative — enabling young women to learn, thrive and lead within their communities.
Small barriers have a big impact. For a girl in rural Malawi, not having the right transport or infrastructure might mean the difference between getting an education and not.Eliza, CAMFED Association leader, Malawi
After training as a Learner Guide, CAMFED graduate Ernestina returned to her school as a “big sister” and role model for the next generation, especially vulnerable girls. At Skoll World Forum in Oxford, Ernestina shared her expertise by delivering an interactive Learner Guide session straight from a Ghanaian classroom.
After facing financial barriers that delayed her education, Jemimah found her way back to school with support from CAMFED. Today, she is a teacher, mentor, and education advocate, committed to helping young people—especially girls—believe in their potential. At Skoll World Forum in Oxford, Jemimah shared her expertise by delivering an interactive Learner Guide session straight from a Ghanaian classroom.
Eliza Chikoti, a CAMFED graduate, now deploys her experience as a programs officer, partnering with her community to support vulnerable children to thrive. A former Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Youth Leader, she joined a recent discussion with Julia Gillard in Malawi, before travelling to the Skoll World Forum in Oxford to share her expertise on a panel about how mobility helps reduce distance as a barrier to girls’ education.
leo moss $10.90
Kate Washington $10.90
Manon Pellman $26.60
Yeeun Park £1025
Cheryl Canfield $21.40
Claudia K Sargent $21.40
Larisa Miller $211
Rhoda Blough $52.90
Robin Kessler $16.10
Alida Fernhout $158
Erica Spano $16.10
Diana Kennedy $26.60
Giles Blake £52.20
Anna Asare €5
Leo Li $21.40
