Maud Chifamba graduating at the University of Zimbabwe in 2016.
The programme, announced this week, seeks to identify a promising student through community nominations as part of Chifamba’s broader effort to expand access to higher education for young people facing economic barriers.
Ten years after becoming Africa’s youngest university graduate, Zimbabwean education advocate Maud Chifamba has launched a scholarship initiative aimed at supporting an academically gifted but financially disadvantaged girl to pursue university studies in 2026.
Chifamba, who made headlines in 2016 when she graduated from the University of Zimbabwe at the age of 14, recalled a moment during her graduation ceremony that has stayed with her for a decade. When her record-breaking achievement was announced, the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe reportedly turned to the then Vice Chancellor Levi Nyagura and asked in surprise
“Oh — it’s a she?”
The remark, Chifamba says, captured the expectations that still surround girls’ achievements in education.
“I didn’t take offense,” she said in announcing the initiative. “I took note.”
For Chifamba, the moment became a reminder of why investing in girls’ education matters. She argues that when communities support girls academically, they not only challenge long-standing assumptions but often empower individuals who reinvest in others.
Over the past decade, she says she has worked to expand access to education for disadvantaged students through her initiative Rising Together. Through the programme, several students have been supported through university, many of them young men.
“This year, I’m being deliberate,” she said.
To mark ten years since her historic graduation, Chifamba is offering a full sponsorship to one underprivileged but academically strong girl seeking admission to a Zimbabwean public university in 2026. The initiative aims to identify a student with strong academic potential whose ambitions have been limited by financial constraints.
Applications are open not only to the students themselves but also to individuals within their communities who may wish to nominate them. Teachers, guardians, pastors, community leaders, and other supporters are encouraged to step forward on behalf of a deserving candidate.
Eligible applicants must have applied to a Zimbabwean public university and either received admission or be awaiting confirmation for the 2026 academic year. Candidates must have passed both English and Mathematics at Ordinary Level and obtained a minimum of 14 points at Advanced Level. Demonstrated financial need is also required.
Applicants will be required to submit an essay of between 500 and 800 words responding to the prompt
“Ten years from now, who do you hope to become and why?”
Chifamba said the essay is intended to reveal not only academic ability but also the vision and motivation of the applicants.
“Let’s find the next community investor,” she said, describing the scholarship as an effort to identify young women who will go on to uplift others in their communities.
Submissions close on 23 March 2026 and should be sent to careerswithmaud@gmail.com.
