Day of the Girl 2023: A support network for every girl

NewsPublished on: Oct 3 2023

"All I needed was a sister to remind me I could make it."

This International Day of the Girl (IDG) – October 11th, 2023 – hear from girls in rural Africa about the power of social support networks in shaping their futures.

Together we can make sure that every girl and young woman has the financial and the social support she needs to stay in school, succeed, and become independent and influential.

Don’t miss CAMFED’s Day of the Girl celebrations across social media.

Follow @CAMFED on X/Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and @camfedsisterhood on TikTok. Use the hashtag #IDG2023 to raise your voice for girls’ education and women’s leadership.

Who supported you on your education journey?

We asked some of the students we serve to tell us about themselves and about the person in their CAMFED support network who has been there for them on their education journey.

Hear from them in our Day of the Girl 2023 video.

All I needed was a sister to remind me I could make it...Now, I am not just running for myself, I am running to represent rural, talented children.

Privillege, star athlete from Zimbabwe

Privillege’s success is a testament to the unrelenting commitment of communities to girls’ education, and to the power of sisterhood.

Graduates in our sisterhood of leaders, the CAMFED Association, join forces to support each other — and the next generation of girls — to learn, thrive and lead.

Privillege - Athletics star and education advocate

“Coming from a poor family in Zimbabwe, I have full knowledge and understanding of how talent can be meaningless if a child is out of school.”

If I wasn’t educated, maybe I would have married early and not fulfilled my dream of being a professional athlete. So today I use my platform to always advocate for girls’ education.

I was unable to make the transition to secondary school without money for fees, uniform, books or pens. I spent the whole of the first term of secondary school at home, until a Mother Support Group discovered my plight. They referred me for CAMFED support, and I was able to join my friends. At school, my Teacher Mentor Mr. Chiseko noticed my talent for sports and with his help I began to perform very well in big competitions.

Now I am in college, my athletics career continues to go from strength to strength. I am grateful for the support of my fellow sisters – graduates in the CAMFED Association – who always give me encouragement if I have doubts.

Read my story

Sign the Sisterhood Pledge

Join our global movement and help advance the education of girls worldwide. We won't rest until every girl has access to quality education, the resources to stay in school, and trusted networks of support to give her the confidence to aim high on her journey to independence.

Sign the pledge

Tinotenda - star of Grazia's Power List of Influential Girls

Tinotenda is a secondary student from Gokwe South, Zimbabwe, who is also Head Girl at her school, Junior MP for her district and an aspiring neurosurgeon.

CAMFED stepped in to support her when she was in Form 1, the first year of secondary school in Zimbabwe, due to her vulnerable background. Tinotenda was provided with both the material support—including school fees and essentials—as well as the social support she needed to learn and thrive. With her worries lifted, she was able to focus on her studies, particularly the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects she loves. As Tinotenda’s grades improved, her academic confidence and self-esteem did too.

Tinotenda has been nominated by Angeline Murimirwa, CAMFED’s CEO, for Grazia magazine’s Power List of Influential Girls (out in print in the UK on October 3rd):

“Every time I hear Tinotenda speak, what strikes me is her commitment to service – like so many of the girls CAMFED supports, she has a burning desire not just to achieve great things in her life, but to open doors for all the other disadvantaged children in her community.”

Hear from Tinotenda

I know that if CAMFED had not paid my school fees, I would not have had the opportunity to attend secondary school and for my athletics talent to be identified.

Privillege

A message from CAMFED's CEO for Day of the Girl

CAMFED’s Chief Executive Officer, Angeline Murimirwa, paid a visit to the United Kingdom last week, and visited the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to discuss the impact of the UK’s long-term investment in girls’ education.

Here is her message for Day of the Girl, recorded by the FCDO.

Watch the reel on the FCDO's Instagram page

I was destined to drop out of school. Without the financial support that I got, I could have been a statistic. And that's a reality for up to 95% of the most marginalized girls. Give every girl an opportunity to go to school and you'll be surprised!

Angeline (Angie) Murimirwa, CAMFED CEO

Partnering with governments to ensure the system works for all girls

In Tanzania, we were honored to be invited by the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Adolf Mkenda, and Commissioner for Education, Dr. Lyabwene Mtahabwa, to celebrate Day of the Girl and discuss our partnership with the government, supporting girls from marginalized backgrounds with life skills education. CAMFED was represented by Anna Sawaki, Director of Programs and Partnership, Stumai Kaguna, District Program Coordinator, students, a Learner Guides (life skills mentor) and a Teacher Mentor.

Media, Events and More - Day of the Girl 2023

A spotlight on the power of the girls & young women in our movement

Chise Kabungo joins FHI 360 2023 International Day of the Girl Roundtable Event

On October 5, 2023, CAMFED Association member and climate-smart Agriculture Guide Chise Kabungo joins a virtual roundtable on the theme ‘Voices, Stories, Actions: Adolescent Girls Using Education to Fight Climate Change‘ in honor of International Day of the Girl, hosted by FHI 360 and including leaders from the FCDO’s Girls’ Education Challenge, USAID, UNICEF and other partners.

Catch (up on) the event

Tawonga-Zakeyu-Daudi-126043-CAMA-AG-MW-Aug-2022_2 (1)

CAMFED Agriculture Guide Tawonga featured in the Irish Farmers Journal

As part of the international farmer series, Maria Moynihan from Irish Farmers Journal talks to climate expert and CAMFED Association member, Tawonga Zakeyu about her passion for sustainability and women-led agriculture.

Read the article on Irish Farmers Journal

Powering the Sisterhood - Angie Murimirwa's 2023 TED Talk

Don’t miss the chance to hear from CEO of CAMFED and co-founder of the CAMFED Association, Angeline Murimirwa, about the power of support networks. Watch her TED Talk to see the world through the eyes of a girl in rural Africa, and experience the difference that a ‘Big Sister’ can make.

Watch the TED Talk