Katherine Fleming International Development Award

Since 2000, Coady Institute has presented the Katherine Fleming International Development award to African women leaders taking part in Coady Institute educational programs. The reimagined award now brings 25+ African women together for the Katherine Fleming Women’s Leadership course held in an African country. These women are using their learning experience to further social change in their own organizations and communities.

Made possible through the generosity of donors, the award honours Katherine (Katie) Fleming a graduate from St. Francis Xavier University (1985) who died in Tanzania in May 1999 while working for United Nations Children’s Fund. Recipients are recognized each year during St. Francis Xavier Homecoming Celebrations.

“I would like to thank the individuals and institutions that made this training possible… your resources, kindness, and generosity [is] not in vain. By enabling a few of us to participate, you have planted a seed.”

Dr. Joyce Bazira

Tanzania, 2025 Katherine Fleming Leadership Course for Women Leaders

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Katherine Fleming

Award Recipients

Katherine Fleming Leadership Course

Award Recipient News and Events:

Tsigie Haile (WISE) receives Katherine Fleming International Development Award

Tsigie Haile, founder of Women in Self Employment (WISE), received the Katherine (Katie) Fleming International Development Award at Coady Institute’s StFX Homecoming event. The award is presented annually to an African woman leader in memory of Katie, who dedicated her life’s work to overcoming child poverty in Africa until her death in 1999.

Award Winner’s Work in Uganda Honours Katherine Fleming

As the recipient of the 2019 Katherine Fleming International Development Award Grace Arach was recognized for her work in Uganda as founder of the Foundation for Women Affected by Conflicts (FOWAC). After participating in Coady Institute’s Diploma in Development Leadership program, Grace committed herself to honouring and promoting the legacy of Katherine Fleming.

Graduate Support Networks in Zimbabwe

Saliwe Mutetwa-Zakariya and Yeukai Muzezewa are part of a network of more than 100 Coady graduates in Zimbabwe, and though they live and work on opposite ends of the country, they share a common bond. They are dedicated advocates for women and girls’ empowerment through education, health, and business.

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“Everyone admired Kate for her consistent good mood. She was always on top of her game, always cheerful and willing to help colleagues, whether it was with understanding a situation or planning action. I only have great memories of her.”

– Arleen Seed, Regional ICT Officer, UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) 1990-1993

“Kate was very young, 32 years old. Yet she was able secure a place at the policy table while engaging on substantive issues always with a smile. It was a joy watching her moving through the corridors and getting the job done…. Kate was ahead of her time. She left us way too early but she will never be forgotten.”

– Louis-Georges Arsenault, Deputy Representative, UNICEF Western Africa Regional Office Mali,1995-1998

“Kate was an exceptionally talented young woman. From the moment I met her, I was deeply impressed by her extraordinary intelligence and her high level of competence. She was an unusually clear thinker and also a very capable writer. I was not only impressed by her talents, including being a Rhodes scholar and an Olympic swimmer, but I also strongly admired the depth and commitment she demonstrated in her personal relationships, particularly in her marriage to John Zutt, and her devotion as a mother.”

– Tessa Wardlaw, UNICEF Headquarters New York, Chief, Data and Analytics Section 1993-1995