Meet Dr. Vee
Dr. Varaidzo (Vee) Kativhu is a prominent leader in education and youth empowerment, with a dedicated focus on expanding access to girls’ education. She is the youngest recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bradford.
As a Girls’ Education Activist and YouTube visionary, Vee leverages her platform of over 500,000 followers to advocate for equitable access to education and opportunity. She is the Founder of Empowered By Vee, a registered charity in England and Wales, aimed at widening access to higher education. Through her Empowerment Workshop Model, Vee delivers transformative, skill-based workshops to students from underrepresented and marginalised backgrounds around the world.
An alumna of both Oxford and Harvard universities, Vee is celebrated for her significant contributions to diversity and female empowerment. In 2024 she was named a British Vogue Force For Change and honoured as one of BBC’s 100 influential Women, alongside Michelle Obama in 2023. Vee has received numerous accolades, including the Diana Legacy Award from Prince William andPrince Harry, the Rare Rising Star Award from UK Parliament members, and the Diversity Champion Award from Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor. Vee is a distinguished keynote speaker, having hosted various high-level education events globally with UNESCO, UNICEF, Education For All Foundation, World’s Largest Lesson, and Global Partnership Education (GPE).
Vee is an active ambassador for All Hands and Hearts, United World Schools, CAMFED and GirlUp Zimbabwe. She has also taken on roles as a LinkedIn Changemaker, TEDx speaker, BBC Teach presenter and published her debut book, ‘EMPOWERED; Live your life with passion and purpose’, a practical and motivational self-help book for young people.
In 2022, Vee was appointed as a Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations by the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, a GPE Youth Leader, and a Youth Advisory Board Member for Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation for 2022-24.
Vee is currently pursuing her PhD in Education Leadership at Claremont Graduate University in California. She aspires to use her degree to address critical issues in girls’ education and youth empowerment on a global scale. She wants to work alongside other change-makers to improve girl’s education across the world and reduce the alarming number of girls out of school. She believes that female empowerment is one of the key components in creating a more sustainable, just and equal world where girls are safe, respected and autonomous.
Empowered By Vee
Founded by Dr. Vee in 2018, Empowered By Vee (EBV) widens access to higher education - bridging the gap between student ability and self-belief.
EBV supports students, between the ages of 16-25, to feel inspired to aim high within their academic journeys. EBV provides the tools and skills for young people to take up space, own their talent and to seize opportunities.
Vee encourages her students to see themselves as worthy, equal and deserving, while providing them with practical guidance to overcome any barriers that society has placed in their way.