Campaign for Female Education (Camfed) USA Foundation

Overview

Since 1993, Camfed has fought poverty and AIDS by educating girls and empowering young women. More than 1,065,710 children in impoverished areas of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana and Malawi have benefited from our innovative education programs.

Mission

Camfed fights poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change. Our goal: To improve the lives of two million
children by 2013.

History

n 1991, Ann Cotton visited Zimbabwe to investigate why girls’ school enrollment in rural areas was so low. What she found surprised her. Families couldn’t afford to buy books or pay school fees for all their children, so they had to choose who would receive an education. Girls were rarely chosen. The reason was simple: Boys had a better chance of getting a paid job after graduation.

So Ann wondered: Could an economic solution open school doors to girls? Could it lead to change in rural Africa?

She returned home to England and led a grassroots campaign to support 32 girls through school.

In 1993, Ann formally launched Camfed, the Campaign for Female Education. The girls supported by Camfed stayed in school and did well, demonstrating that girls’ education was valued by families when costs were met. Our successful model has now been replicated in 2,295 communities in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania.

Program

Camfed uses a community-based, holistic approach to bring about change in Africa. The girls we support are selected by the community as being the most in need. We don’t just provide her with books or school fees. We help her throughout her development, from her elementary school years until adulthood. Our package allows her to get into school, do well academically, and maximize the value of her education after graduation.

Impact

Our work in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Ghana and Tanzania has shown impressive results. For example, in Tanzania, schools supported by Camfed through the Safety Net Fund showed a 37 percent reduction in drop-out rates between 2005 and 2007. In Camfed partner high schools in Zambia, pregnancy rates fell by 9 percent between 2006 and 2008, compared to an increase of 38 percent in a control sample of schools.

Since 1993, we’ve improved the school environment for 1,065,710 children, provided scholarships for 42,184 girls to go to high school, trained 4,068 teacher mentors and helped 769 young women go to college.

Our microfinance program has helped 6,084 women start small businesses and 1,449 expand. We’ve also trained 1,504 community health activists through Cama, the Camfed Association, which has 14,005 African members who advocate for change in rural Africa.

Countries of Operation

Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, United Republic of, United States, United Kingdom, Malawi