Ann Cotton

Imagine a million African girls, all of whom come from a rural background and are familiar with the tension and disappointments of poverty. Envision them working in education and health care, politics, media, law, engineering, and science — imagine the impact they could have on our society.” – Ann Cotton

Ann Cotton was born in the Welsh city of Cardiff. Her educational career began in London where she founded an organization for girls who had been expelled from traditional schools. In 1991, Ann went on a study trip to rural Zimbabwe to find out why females were not enrolling in school at such a high rate. She went on to provide financial help for 32 girls to attend secondary education once she discovered poverty was the root of the problem.

Camfed is a non-profit organization founded by Ann Cotton in 1993. Camfed is short Campaign for Female Education and is working to increase girls educational opportunities in rural Africa and supports girls who would otherwise be denied an education because of poverty. The organization has helped over 3.3 million children enroll in school and have improved the educational environment for over 5.7 million students. One of the charity’s most innovative initiatives is the development of CAMA, a pan-African network of Camfed graduates and women leaders who offer local services, use their skills to improve their communities, and encourage more girls to attend school.

Her actions are telling us how a woman can make a big difference.

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