Our #WCW is Varaidzo (Vee) Kativhu, a 25 year old girls’ education activist from Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. She is a YouTube visionary, and founder of Empowered By Vee, a youth empowerment organisation. Vee uses her social media, with a following of over 300,000, to share practical study advice and to empower other underprivileged and underrepresented young people from across the globe to recognise their own academic abilities and take up space.
Vee holds two degrees, a bachelor’s degree from Oxford University in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History and a masters’ degree from Harvard University in International Education Policy. As recognition for her efforts to bridge the gap of inequality in education, Vee has been named a Diana Award Legacy Award Recipient by Prince Harry and Prince William, a United Kingdom Rare Rising Star by executive members of British parliament, and A Diversity Champion by the Vice Chancellor of Oxford University. Vee is a Young Leader for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG).
In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering and fundraising for education-focused charities and is currently an active ambassador for United World Schools, CAMFED and GirlUp Zimbabwe. She has also taken on roles as a LinkedIn Changemaker, TEDx speaker, BBC Teach presenter and has recently published her debut book, ‘EMPOWERED; Live your life with passion and purpose’, a practical and motivational self-help book for young people.
In the near future, Vee will be pursuing a PhD in Educational Leadership and work alongside other changemakers to improve girl’s education across the world and reduce the rising number of over 130 million girls out of school. She believes that female empowerment is one of the key components in creating a more sustainable, just and equal world where girls are safe, respected and autonomous.
Recently, Varaidzo ‘Vee’ Kativhu made it to BBC 100 Women 2023 list.
The 25 year old has made it together with the likes of former US First Lady Michelle Obama, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, Ballon d’Or-winning footballer Aitana Bonmatí, AI expert Timnit Gebru, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, Hollywood star America Ferrera and beauty mogul Huda Kattan.
