When she thrives, we all thrive
Together this giving season, we can make a difference that ripples outward to benefit everyone.
CAMFED Association member Annita named a WISE Emerging Leader
Annita Mashiri, a CAMFED Association member from Zimbabwe, has been named among the 2020 cohort of WISE Emerging Leaders.
She is one of 19 young women and men from around the world to be accepted onto the prestigious program, which recognizes active engagement in delivering or designing education initiatives. Annita’s position as Head Teacher of her local high school is something she is immensely proud of, having struggled to remain in education when she was growing up.
Despite a background of extreme poverty, I have committed myself, not only to improving my own life through education but devoting my life to the education and wellbeing of others.
Annita Mashiri, CAMFED Association member and Head Teacher, Zimbabwe
Annita was supported to go to school by CAMFED and joined the CAMFED Association of women leaders, committing to plow back the benefits of her education into her community. She has built up an intimate understanding of the barriers that marginalized children face in obtaining an education, as well as the teaching and learning challenges in under-resourced school systems.
Annita holds an undergraduate degree in Administration and a post-graduate diploma in Education. Before becoming Head Teacher in 2017, she spent five years teaching and two years working as HIV/AIDS Program Assistant at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Her role as Head Teacher is a holistic one; she was instrumental in establishing her school, leading on its construction, enrollment, management training, procurement, and communications. Annita is passionate about tackling girls’ exclusion from education due to poverty, not only in her own community but around the globe. She goes the extra mile for vulnerable children, colleagues and community members offering them career guidance and health information.
Annita looks forward to developing her leadership skills further and ‘virtually’ meeting with other educators from a range of backgrounds, to help her scale her activism. As part of the WISE Emerging Leaders program she will participate in collaborative and interactive modules on topics ranging from ethical leadership to social innovation. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the program has shifted online, with Annita able to participate by using the internet at her school — or if a connection is not available, accessing materials on WhatsApp.
Meet the 2020 WISE Emerging Leaders cohort
Annita says: “I continue to work hard to expand the resources available at my school.”