CAMFED's Audacious Project launched at TED2023

From poverty and inequality to possibility and social justice

The chance of a girl from a poor, rural background completing secondary school in rural Africa is vanishingly small — even before the pandemic, 95% never made it that far. Many financial, environmental and social barriers get in the way of girls learning and staying in school, especially as they reach adolescence. Poverty and patriarchy perpetuate child marriage, further stacking the odds against girls.

The 5% of young women who complete school face an abyss, with few opportunities to find jobs, build independent livelihoods, or participate in decision-making. In a decade that has seen the gains recently made for women and girls rolled back globally, this leads to chronic underrepresentation of women in education roles and other leadership positions.

CAMFED’s holistic approach is designed to change this reality, and we now have a unique opportunity to transform the futures of millions of girls.

As we scale our model and more of our graduates progress into leadership positions at all levels of the education system — and in other critical policy areas — we can reshape systems to better serve those at the margins and benefit society as a whole.

The Sisterhood powering CAMFED's Audacious plan

Key to the success of our bold plan is our powerful pan-African network of women leaders, who were themselves once excluded from school. As ‘big sisters’ and mentors to vulnerable girls, these proximate leaders mobilize their communities in support of girls’ education, and together dismantle the multiple barriers that hold girls back. 

More than 27% of CAMFED Association members belong to decision-making bodies, amplifying the voices of marginalized women and girls and challenging the status quo.  They are shifting the narrative and ensuring representation in climate, health, education, business, technology and policy.