East Aurora, New York — As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Girls Education Collaborative (GEC) proudly congratulates its founding Executive Director, Anne Robinson Wadsworth on being named a recipient of Bowdoin College’s 2026 Common Good Award. The award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated an extraordinary and sustained commitment to advancing the common good.
Since founding GEC in 2012, Anne has dedicated her leadership to expanding access to high-quality education for girls and young women in Tanzania through long-term and community-led partnerships. GEC’s mission is to advance girls’ education and gender equity through collaborative partnerships, sustainable systems-building, and trust-based philanthropy. Under her guidance, GEC has worked closely with the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa (IHSA) to support the growth of Kitenga Girls Secondary School, a transformative educational institution that has become a model for holistic, community-rooted girls’ education.
GEC board members, Carole S. Petro, Robert Berger, and Anne Wadsworth, GEC Exec. Dir., meet Malala Yousafzai at the University of Buffalo (September 2017) (Joe Cascio Photography)
In addition to its long-standing partnership with the Kitenga Girls Secondary School, GEC launched the Ally Funder Alliance (AFA), designed by Anne, as an innovative, values-driven funding collaborative that strengthens grassroots organizations through multi-year, trust-based support. Through the AFA, GEC works to shift traditional funding dynamics and amplify locally-led solutions across the global girls’ education ecosystem.
GEC is also strengthened by the engagement of multiple Bowdoin alumni who contribute to its work. Board member Brianna Cornelius ’09, Circle of Advisors member and Kitenga volunteer Alec Lee ’80, and longtime supporter Laura Foulke ‘91, are among the Bowdoin graduates who have helped shape and sustain the organization’s mission.
“Anne understood that investing in girls’ education is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen families, uplift communities, and expand what is possible for future generations,” shared Lois Mufuka Martin, Executive Director. “Her vision, deeply rooted in collaboration and allyship, continues to inspire our GEC work to bring global social change through the transformational power of girls’ education.”
The Common Good Award is one of Bowdoin College’s highest honors and celebrates alumni whose lives and work reflect a sustained commitment to service and social impact.
Anne Robinson Wadsworth will be formally recognized during Bowdoin’s Reunion Weekend on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
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- The Sisters and Anne Wadsworth celebrate the ribbon cutting for the new Theodore and Pauline Cohen Trust Girls Dormitory, August 2017.
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- Anne Wadsworth and Kitenga Students sharing a moment (2025)
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- Anne Wadsworth & Kellen Msseemmaa, Empowered Girls Founder, an AFA Ally Organization.
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- Students, teachers and Anne Wadsworth take a rest after the school inauguration (2017)
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- Anne Wadsworth & GEC IHSA partners rolling up their sleeves to build the new Admin building in Kitenga (2020)
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- “Stronger Together” – Anne Wadsworth & Ally Funder Alliance partners
About Girls Education Collaborative
Girls Education Collaborative partners with local leaders and communities to expand access to quality secondary education for girls and advance gender equity through sustainable, collaborative, and community-led models. Through its direct partnership with the Kitenga Girls Secondary School and the Ally Funder Alliance, GEC works to invest in local leadership and advance long-term systems change in girls’ education.
Media Contact
Guillemette Dejean, Programs and Partnerships Manager, guillemette@gec.ngo
www.gec.ngo