Economic Independence

A young woman running a rural business in Tanzania When rural girls and young women leave school, they enter an adult world of massive unemployment where women have the least job prospects. Their pathways are to marry young and often to an older man, not of their choice, or join the exodus to towns and cities in search of the paid work.

In most schools, the curriculum is not designed to help women find employment or create their own livelihoods. Additionally young women have grown up in families where the men of the household control the resources, as a result they have no experience whatsoever of owning and managing money.

Camfed's seed money program offers micro-credit, training and peer support for young women school leavers. Camfed's seed money program is uniquely run by young women for young women, creating a bond of female solidarity that is integral to its success. This distinguishes our program from other micro finance operations.

The five components of the seed money program are:
a friendship circle established in school and extended through membership of Cama;
mentoring by young business women (previous beneficiaries);
the provision of non-repayable grants as the first experience of money ownership and control;
management of loans by young women, trained by Camfed; and
analysis of broad outcomes, including life choices, use of profit, change in self regard and aspirations.

Examples of rural businesses include poultry-rearing, phone booths, market gardening, tailoring, and trading goods such as kitchen utensils. In every case, the business begins with the need for goods and services in the rural community.

Young women succeed because they must. They take the opportunities of the seed money program and make them work in their lives and in the lives of their families.

Read about the fourth stage of the Camfed Model - educated and independent women lead change.

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