Lydia Wilbard’s life experience resonates strongly with that of the young women reached by CAMFED’s programs. Completing her secondary education against great personal odds, Lydia ran several successful businesses to fund her high school and university education. As a founding member of the CAMFED Association in Tanzania in 2005, she became an active business mentor and leader within this network of young educated women, who are united in their determination to support the next generation of children to access their right to education and be empowered to drive change in their communities. Now, as Executive Director: Learning & Engagement, Lydia forges strategic partnerships with communities and government ministries to support the most marginalized girls to go to school, learn and thrive, and she leads on the implementation of our peer mentorship program, the Learner Guide Program, at scale.

Awarded a competitive scholarship by the government of the United States, Lydia earned a Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She also holds a degree from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences.