Tererai Trent

Tererai Trent is one of the world’s most powerful voices for education and women’s empowerment. Born in rural Zimbabwe where she was denied schooling because she was female, married at 14, and a mother of four by 18, she transformed herself from an illiterate, abused young wife into a globally recognized educator and humanitarian with a doctorate from Western Michigan University. Her extraordinary journey has made her a symbol of hope and living proof that no dream is too audacious.

Motivational speaker Tererai Trent’s breakthrough came when Jo Luck, then CEO of Heifer International, visited her village in 1991 and asked a question that changed everything: “What are your dreams?” Encouraged by her mother, Tererai wrote down her seemingly impossible goals—earn a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a PhD in America—sealed them in a tin can, and buried them under a rock. That buried tin became the blueprint for a life that defied every expectation. She arrived in Oklahoma in 1998 with five children, escaped an abusive marriage, and methodically achieved each degree, returning to Zimbabwe after each accomplishment to unearth her tin and check off another dream.

Her story captured the attention of Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, who featured her in their bestselling book Half the Sky in 2009. This led to appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where Oprah declared Tererai her all-time favorite guest out of more than 30,000 guests over 25 years. In recognition of her tenacity and vision, Oprah donated 1.5 million dollars to help Tererai rebuild her childhood elementary school, Matau Primary School, which was completed in 2014.

Building Schools and Breaking Cycles

Through Tererai Trent International, the foundation she established in 2009, Tererai has built multiple schools across rural Zimbabwe, transforming educational access for thousands of children. Through strategic partnerships with Oprah Winfrey and Save the Children, her foundation has impacted over 38,000 children and counting, with a specific focus on girls who would otherwise be denied education. The foundation’s work extends beyond infrastructure to community transformation, challenging deeply rooted cultural norms that historically relegated girls to early marriage and domestic labor.

Tererai holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Evaluation from Western Michigan University, focused on HIV/AIDS prevention programs for women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa, a Master’s in Public Health (Epidemiology) from UC Berkeley, a Master’s in Plant Pathology, and a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Education from Oklahoma State University. She serves as Adjunct Professor in Monitoring and Evaluation in Global Health at Drexel University School of Public Health and is a senior consultant with over 18 years of international experience in program and policy evaluation across five continents.

Her 2017 book, The Awakened Woman: Remembering & Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams, with a foreword by Oprah Winfrey, won the 2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. She also authored the children’s book The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can. In 2019, she was honored as one of 10 women immortalized in bronze statues as part of the Statues for Equality project in New York City, alongside Oprah Winfrey and Jane Goodall.

As a speaker, Tererai Trent delivers visceral, transformative presentations that move audiences to tears and action. Her motto, “Tinogona”—meaning “It is achievable” in her native Shona language—resonates with leaders facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. She speaks with authenticity about perseverance, breaking generational cycles of poverty and oppression, the catalyzing power of education, and building organizations aligned with higher purpose. Corporate audiences value her ability to connect business strategy with social impact, demonstrating that investing in marginalized communities creates ripple effects that transform entire societies for generations.