By Bunmi Yekini
NAIROBI — The Alliance for Women and Girls (AFWAG) has officially premiered Daughter of the Soil: Sowing Seeds of Hope, a stirring new documentary that repositions African women’s leadership as a critical lever for global progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Directed by award-winning Zimbabwean filmmaker Kudzai Tinago of Tigzozo Media, the film chronicles the life and work of Dr. Vongai Nyahunzvi, Founder and CEO of AFWAG. From her humble beginnings in Norton, Zimbabwe, to leading a pan-African movement to uplift women and girls, Dr. Nyahunzvi’s journey is portrayed as both personal and profoundly political.
Speaking at the premiere in Nairobi, Dr. Nyahunzvi emphasized the need for collective action to advance gender equity in Africa.
“When you educate a girl, you educate a nation. This African proverb is a motivation for us to drive transformative and impactful change aimed at empowering girls and women not only in Kenya or Zimbabwe, but across the region,” she said.
The documentary comes amid stark statistics that continue to highlight gender disparities across East Africa. In Kenya, nearly 40% of girls aged 15–19 have experienced pregnancy. One in three women across East Africa faces intimate partner violence, and in South Sudan, over half of girls are married before the age of 18.
“This story is not just about me. It’s about millions of African women who are architects of progress,” Dr. Nyahunzvi added. “But lasting change cannot be achieved by individuals alone. We need collective action. That’s why we’re calling on donors, governments, and corporates to fund and amplify women-led solutions as a pathway to scalable, systemic change.”
The Nairobi premiere gathered an audience of policymakers, philanthropists, corporate leaders, and grassroots advocates, all echoing the belief that investing in African women is not a matter of charity—but a strategy for sustainable, inclusive development.
AFWAG, which has impacted over 5 million women and girls across the continent, continues to champion leadership development, capacity strengthening, and movement building to close gender gaps and advance the SDGs.