Ruth stands firm in her convictions that some animal advocates are born that way. Her earliest encounters with animals were infused with gentleness, empathy, and an innate recognition of their sentient nature. As a little girl, she was known to rescue abandoned baby birds, bringing them home to nurse them back to health. Her family was appalled and captivated by the sense of service she displayed, and grew to accept and respect her passion for animal care.
While studying law at the University of Zimbabwe, Ruth connected with a trailblazing animal lawyer and founder of a dynamic animal protection organization, Speak out for Animals. Grateful and excited to discover an emerging field of law that matched her long-held dedication to animal protection, she quickly developed impressive skills in animal law advocacy and served as Chapter President for Speak out for Animals Student Chapter from 2021 to 2022, organizing public lectures and mobilizing students from across faculties.
After graduating, Ruth volunteered for a youth-led climate justice campaign in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Malawi, documenting disaster effects and amplifying community resilience in the face of climate adversity. She later worked with ActionAid Zimbabwe, designing and implementing conservation programs that promoted local agency and in ecosystem restoration. Her work focused on influencing progressive environmental policies and laws, capacity building, evidence-based advocacy and movement building.
Currently, Ruth serves as a facilitator, enhancing young people’s skills in rights-based advocacy, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable livelihoods through training and capacity building. She believes in the power of collective action and inter-generational solidarity in ecological conservation.
Now a registered lawyer with the High Court of Zimbabwe, Ruth is honored to be pursuing an Animal LLM at Lewis & Clark Law School. She is inspired to make an indelible mark in animal conservation in Zimbabwe and beyond.