MacKenzie Scott Makes Transformational Donation to CAMFED
We are thrilled to announce that philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has made a transformational gift towards our mission to support girls to go to school and young women to step forward as independent, influential leaders across sub-Saharan Africa.
MacKenzie’s donation will advance our urgent goal of supporting five million girls from some of the poorest rural communities in Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe over the next five years, and millions more into the future.
MacKenzie shared in her announcement today her aim to identify organizations having a major impact, and to support their work to drive change. In particular, she stated her ‘conviction that people who have experience with inequities are the ones best equipped to design solutions’. We couldn’t agree more, and are honored by this powerful endorsement of CAMFED’s model and the values we hold.
Lucy Lake, CEO of CAMFED
CAMFED’s model revolutionizes how girls’ education is delivered, catalyzing the power of the most vulnerable girls and young women to create the future they imagine – for themselves, for their communities, and for Africa. With a 25-year track record, our impact has been increasing exponentially through the CAMFED Association of young women leaders educated with CAMFED’s support. Now spearheading our programs, they set a global example of the change that is possible when women gain their right to education, and equal access to resources.
In her post announcing her investment in CAMFED and other leading organizations tackling our world’s most urgent challenges, MacKenzie stated: “I recommend these organizations to anyone similarly excited by the idea of empowering leaders well-positioned to accelerate progress. Every one of them is tackling complex challenges that will require sustained effort over many years, while simultaneously addressing consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. And every one of them would benefit from more allies looking to share wealth of all types and sizes, including money, volunteer time, supplies, advocacy, publicity, networks and relationships, collaboration, encouragement, and trust.”
This commitment will transform lives, and we are extremely grateful for MacKenzie’s generous support and partnership. With this investment, she has placed her trust in the leadership of young African women who were once at the invisible margins of their societies, and who are now deploying their expertise, empathy and lived experience to rewrite the future for the next generation. CAMFED is an organization of ‘doers’, and we are positioned to take action immediately and at scale to ensure girls can learn, thrive and lead. We couldn’t be more proud of the belief and confidence that the unrestricted nature of MacKenzie’s support shows for the continuation of this vital work.
Angeline Murimirwa, CAMFED Executive Director-Africa and a founding member of the CAMFED Association
With MacKenzie’s investment, that of our global community of partners and supporters, and CAMFED’s network of 157,000 young women leaders, we are tipping the scales for gender equality. Together, we will multiply the number of girls in school and accelerate their path to livelihoods and leadership; and ultimately deliver on the promise of social justice across the globe.
Read MacKenzie Scott’s post: Organizations Driving Change