Theirworld has named former Chief Executive Officer of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Theo Sowa, as the 2021 winner of the Unlock Big Change Award.
The award is given to incredible women who have made significant contributions to education and gender equality.
She has been an adviser to Graça Machel – the international rights advocate and former Mozambique education minister – for many years and to Melinda Gates at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
She also served as a trustee at Comic Relief and the Children’s Investment Fund.
Her focus on equitable access to education and employment over many years has been groundbreaking and she continues to break down barriers at the highest-level meetings, as well as supporting grassroots work in Ghana.
‘I feel hugely honoured. I truly believe in the work that Theirworld is doing – and celebrating the idea of women who unlock big change’, Theo, who was honoured during Theirworld’s annual International Women’s Day event, said.
‘We know that when we unlock the potential for girls, we unlock the potential for our communities, our societies and our economies.
‘This is a time and an opportunity to look at investing differently and investing more. It is time for us to not just listen but to hear the voices of the people who are most impacted by the inequalities in our societies.
‘Education is not just about our schools. it is also about the emotional protection and the rights protection that we put in place.
‘It is about allowing girls to dream and to envision and giving them the tools to change their societies’.
Respected activist Machel, in a special video message, said Theo was one of the most prominent contributors to transform and change the lives, the profile and the future of the girl-child in Africa.
For her part, Gates said, ‘Theo Sowa has made a career out of unlocking big change and she has done it by helping women across Africa tap into their own power to drive progress’.
Source: Theirworld
Photo source: African Women’s Development Fund
