Cotton On Foundation’s own Clare Najjemba speaks at the 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit

31st July, 2020

The Group’s philanthropic arm, Cotton On Foundation had an incredible opportunity to be part of the United Nation’s Foundation’s 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit. Across three days, 125,000 participants from over 170 countries gathered online to learn, grow and talk about the big issues affecting women and girls globally alongside an impressive group of women in leadership from across the world.

While the Summit usually takes place in Washington, U.S., this year the Summit was entirely virtual, allowing them to reach an audience like never before.

We were so proud to watch Cotton On Foundation’s very own Clare Najjemba, Uganda Country Manager, take part in a panel on girls’ education, ‘Educate a Girl, Change the World’. Other panel members were Malala Fund Chief of Programmes Maliha Khan, and Tubi Retta, Deputy Director of the Girls Opportunity Alliance.

Clare Najjemba has been an integral part of the Cotton On Foundation team, delivering on quality education projects in Uganda for over eight years. Beginning her Cotton On Foundation journey as the Mannya Social Worker, Clare excelled in role as Head of Student Wellbeing and in 2019, was promoted Country Manager of Uganda. In her current role, Clare oversees all of the Cotton On Foundation’s work carried out in Uganda.

Watch Clare speak here:

“I wanted for people to know why girls even in this contemporary world still fail to attend school,” says Clare of her participation in the panel.

“To tickle those who can act to act now. To remind the world that it’s times like now where we all need to join hands and speak the same language of embracing girls’ education.”

Clare was in good company at the Summit, with plenty of other incredible speakers including the likes of Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle, Jameela Jamil and Hillary Clinton.

Discover more about how our Cotton On Foundation supports women and girls across the world here.