Ann Cotton

Founder of Camfed

Young people and education have been the focus of Ann Cotton’s life. In her early career, she established and led an education centre for girls excluded from mainstream education in London and was an advocate for children entering the care of the state. While at Boston University in the US, she studied the multi-cultural education system of Massachusetts before returning to the UK to study Human Rights and Education at the London Institute of Education. Following research into the constraints on girls’ education in Zimbabwe, she founded Camfed in 1993. Over 18 years, Camfed has grown to become a highly respected organization known for its client-centred governance model in girls’ education and young women’s empowerment. She has been recognized with many awards: in 2004, she was named UK Social Entrepreneur of the Year, and in 2005 was awarded both the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and a UK Beacon Fellowship. In 2006, she became a Schwab Social Entrepreneur and received an OBE in honour of her services to girls’ education in Africa.

In 2007 she was awarded an honorary doctorate in law from the University of Cambridge. She is an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Judge Business School of Cambridge University and an honorary fellow of Homerton College.