CAMFED and CAMFED’s CEO, Angeline Murimirwa, have been named as co-recipients of the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize.
CAMFED was awarded the 2026 Seoul Peace Prize for our work transforming education and opportunity across the African continent, under the leadership of young women with lived experience of the challenges we aim to address.
At a special ceremony in Seoul, Korea on Monday, November 2, 2026, Angeline Murimirwa accepted her personal prize accompanied by Fiona Mavhinga, Executive Director, CAMFED Association Development, who delivered acceptance remarks on CAMFED’s behalf.
The following day, Angeline Murimirwa delivered a lecture on education and belonging as the foundation for global peace at the School of Media and Communication at Korea University.
Read CAMFED's Acceptance Remarks, delivered by Fiona Mavingha
Today I want to speak to you about education and belonging: why they matter, and how they become the foundations for peace.
Our education tells us that change is possible. Education unlocks agency and purpose. It gives us the tools to examine and embrace complexity, create healthy ways of belonging, and transform systems to secure every child’s right to learn and thrive.
As CAMFED CEO, I’m only too aware that I embody that belonging – and it’s my duty to remind you that I am merely a representative of the 355,000 young women leaders across our continent to whom CAMFED is directly accountable.
These are also the sisters that prop me up – the sisters I can lean on during the toughest, most frustrating days. That’s when we remind each other why we do what we do: because there can be no peace in our heart, and no peace in the world, when millions are excluded from their right to learn and thrive. Exclusion is where division starts. Peace is about belonging.
Read Angie's Peace Lecture“What is particularly remarkable is that their work has created a multiplier effect in education: beginning with enabling one girl to attend school, helping her grow into a leader in her community, and equipping her, in turn, to support the education of the next generation.”Koo Christopher, Chair, Seoul Peace Prize Selection Committee
Established in 1990 by the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation to commemorate the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, the Seoul Peace Prize honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to world peace and cooperation.
As the 18th recipient of the prize, CAMFED joins a distinguished group of laureates including Direct Relief, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Doctors without Borders
“We are truly honored to be recognized with the Seoul Peace Prize. There can be no peace without social justice, and social justice starts with equitable access to education. CAMFED is showing that when you educate girls and support them to become independent, influential women, they join forces with their communities to mentor and guide the next generation.Angeline Murimirwa, CEO, CAMFED
Together, we are transforming systems, creating a world where every young person can grow up belonging, knowing their own worth and having the opportunity to shape their own future. That is how lasting peace is built.”
Read CAMFED CEO Angeline Murimirwa's acceptance remarks for her personal prize, delivered at a ceremony in Seoul, Korea on Monday, November 2, 2026.
Angeline (Angie) Murimirwa spearheads CAMFED’s grassroots-led model for girls’ education and women’s leadership in Africa, fostering close partnerships with rural communities and national governments.
The Seoul Peace Prize recognizes Angie’s exceptional contribution to expanding the fundamental right to education for girls and women, advancing women’s human rights, challenging discriminatory attitudes toward women, promoting greater equality, and strengthening the foundations of community development and lasting peace.
As a CAMFED graduate, Angie co-founded the CAMFED Association, a powerful pan-African network of 355,000 women leaders driving change. Together they bring the experience and expertise of underserved communities to inform policy and strategy at every level.
CAMFED supports girls from underserved rural communities in Africa to go to school. Graduates then join a leadership network of other once-marginalized young women, now running businesses and working as teachers, healthcare professionals, and in other positions of influence. They join forces to support and mentor the next generation, using their own resources to send three more girls, on average, to go to school, multiplying the benefits of their education.
This prize recognizes the generational impact our movement has already made, and the journey we are on to shape a better, more equitable future for us all.
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The Asia Business Daily highlights the 18th Seoul Peace Prize and CAMFED’s emphasis on fostering the leadership of educated young women across Africa.
Business Korea focuses on CAMFED’s and Angeline Murimirwa’s work tackling poverty and gender inequality through girls’ education and women’s leadership.
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