Prince’s Trust International and the Livermore-based Asante African Foundation has awarded the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award to a young Tanzanian woman, identified only as Zamana, at the 19th annual Prince’s Trust Awards ceremony in London.
Amal Clooney, the wife of Hollywood star George Clooney, and then-Prince Charles, who started the Prince’s Trust youth charity, created the award to honor the work of “young women who have succeeded against the odds to make a lasting difference in their communities.” The award was first presented in 2022.
Zamana, 17, was recognized for launching a campaign to support and encourage girls in Tanzania to stay in school. Almost a third of the girls in Tanzania, a country of 62 million in East Africa, are married by the time they turn 18, and many drop out of school because of early marriage or pregnancy.
Zamana’s campaign, which translates from Swahili as “Allow Me to Study, ”focuses on influencing both the schoolgirls and their parents.
“I educate girls and speak with them on how to fight for their dreams despite the challenges they face,” Zamana told the Prince’s Trust. “But also I speak with parents on why they should allow girls to stay in school and reach their dreams.”
She launched her campaign when she was 16, after participating in the Prince’s Trust’s Enterprise Challenge, which focuses on entrepreneurship and developing communication and problem-solving skills.
The Enterprise Challenge is delivered in East Africa by the Asante Africa Foundation and run through school-based clubs.
Clooney, a human rights attorney and activist, presented the award personally at the London awards ceremony, which celebrates young people who have participated in Prince’s Trust programs around the world.
“If a girl is married off at 12, has four children by the time she is 18, and cannot go to school, what opportunities will she have to learn, and to work?” Clooney said. “What can she teach her daughter? These young girls are future scientists, prime ministers, and CEOs – in their dreams – and they would be in the real world if they were given the chance.”
After the awards ceremony, Zamana attended a reception at Buckingham Palace, where she also met the newly crowned King Charles III.
The Asante Africa Foundation (asanteafrica.org) also supports programs in Kenya and Uganda.
