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Vee Kativhu

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Vee Kativhu
Kativhu in 2021
Born
Varaidzo Kativhu

Zimbabwe
EducationDudley College, Lady Margaret Hall, Harvard University (Ed.M), Claremont Graduate University
Occupations
  • Activist
  • speaker
  • author
AwardsDiana Award (2021)

Varaidzo "Vee" Kativhu is a British-Zimbabwean girls' education activist, international speaker, author, and social-media personality. She received a Diana Award in 2021 and was listed on the BBC's 100 Women list in 2023.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Kativhu was born in Zimbabwe and grew up speaking Shona.[3] At the age of seven, following the death of her father, she and her sister moved to England to join their mother. At the age of twelve, the family relocated to Pontypridd, Wales, before later moving to the West Midlands in England.[3]

Kativhu attended Dudley College[3][4] and went on to study classical archaeology and ancient history at Lady Margaret Hall.[3][5] In 2021, she graduated with a master's degree in international education policy from Harvard University, completing her studies online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] She subsequently pursued doctoral research in educational leadership at Claremont Graduate University in California.

Career

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While studying at Oxford in 2017, she launched a YouTube channel, vlogging about her university experiences.[5][7][8] Her friend and fellow student Malala Yousafzai appeared in several of her videos.[9]

Kativhu later founded Empowered by Vee, an initiative aimed at making higher education more accessible for students from underrepresented and financially disadvantaged backgrounds.[5][2] In 2021, she published a self-help book, titled Empowered: Live Your Life with Passion and Purpose.[10]

Awards and recognition

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In 2021, Kativhu received the Diana Award and was selected by the United Nations as a Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals.[1][6][11] She was named to the BBC's 100 Women list in 2023 as one of the world's inspiring and influential women.[2] In 2024, Kativhu was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Bradford.[12]

Publications

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  • Kativhu, Vee (2021). Empowered: Live Your Life with Passion and Purpose. London: Penguin Random House UK imprint Square Peg. ISBN 978-1529110456.

She has also written opinion pieces on global education and climate action for platforms including The New Humanitarian.[citation needed]

References

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  1. 1 2 "THE 2021 DIANA AWARD ROLL OF HONOUR". The Diana Award. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "BBC 100 Women 2023: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 21 November 2023. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Thomson, Alice; Sylvester, Rachel (19 October 2017). "Varaidzo Kativhu: 'I just assumed Oxford university would be for the posh'". The Times. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  4. ↑ Marsh, Stefanie (27 November 2021). "Meet Vee Kativhu, the YouTuber who makes studying cool". The Times. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "A conversation with YouTuber and girls' education activist Vee Kativhu". Assembly. 1 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 "LMH alumna Vee Kativhu receives the Diana Award". Lady Margaret Hall. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  7. ↑ Tognotti, Chris (22 April 2018). "Malala Yousafzai & Her Best Friend At Oxford Unwind By Listening To Beyonce & Hard Same". Bustle. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Five things from Oxfordshire". BBC News. 3 August 2018. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Corcoran, Kieran (21 April 2018). "Malala's YouTuber best friend says they stay up all night at Oxford listening to Beyoncé and eating Indian food". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  10. ↑ Efemini, Claudia (6 September 2022). "Education activist Vee Kativhu's trip to Zimbabwe". New Zimbabwe. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "Influential young changemakers recognized by UN". UN News. 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Hon-grad Vee's on a mission to change the world through education". University of Bradford. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
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