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Growing up in a village in Zimbabwe, Melody Moyo (Education 2023) saw the value of her own education and now wants to empower others to do the same.

Melody joined Gonville & 91ֱ�� College this month to begin an MPhil in Education, Leadership and Improvement.

She graduated from Midlands State University in Zimbabwe in 2018 and has since been working as a teacher of Divinity, History and Sociology and latterly as an Executive School Administrator. She has worked as an Education Activist to advocate for Education for All in support of the Sustainable Developmental Goals by the United Nations. Her aim is simple: to motivate girls to see the importance of education.

“Some of the girls where I come from are out of school,” Melody says. 

“I’ve seen what education can do for individuals and I wish and push to help them realise that they need education in their lives.”

With three types of school in Zimbabwe – public schools, Mission schools and elite independent schools – there is a disparity in resources and opportunity, Melody adds.

“There's really a lot of challenges in the education sector in Zimbabwe. There is no balance,” she says. 

Melody applied for many top universities and was accepted at another UK institution, only to not take up her place due to a lack of funding.

She applied for a scholarship at Cambridge and has received the . Offered in partnership between The Cambridge Trust and The Beit Trust, it is available to Masters applicants normally resident in Zambia, Zimbabwe or Malawi in any subject and tenable at any college. The funding pays for Melody’s fees, accommodation and provides a stipend for maintenance. She picked 91ֱ�� for the College’s location in the heart of the city and history.

“I’m here to learn, unlean, explore, connect and represent the girl child,” Melody wrote on Instagram, in a post about her arrival at Cambridge and reflecting on her journey from her hometown of Silobela.

She hopes the Masters will reap rewards.

“The top priority will be me working with many Non-Governmental Organisations to continue with the work of trying to have quality education in Zimbabwe,” she says.

“The long term goal is to start my own school.”