Action for and by young women highlighted at UNGEI’s #EducateForEquality Forum

Between October 12 and 17, the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) hosted its 20th anniversary “Educate for Equality” Forum, building on the momentum around the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

CAMFED —  a founding member and partner of UNGEI —  contributed to three live sessions at the virtual Forum, represented by experts in the CAMFED Association, who embody the transformative power of girls’ education.

In a session on Feminist Action for Climate Justice, Forget Shareka, a CAMFED Association climate-smart entrepreneur and graduate of Earth University, highlighted the need for practical solutions to address the effects of climate change and gender inequity. These include food insecurity, and an even greater burden placed on women and girls, who often have to work harder, travel further for food and water, and are at increased risk of early marriage as more families face hunger and hardship. Forget gave the examples of women-led awareness-raising in schools, community outreach, and climate-smart farming techniques — all things that CAMFED Association leaders, some trained as Agriculture Guides, are making a reality now.

The action-oriented leadership of the educated young women in our CAMFED Association also came to the fore in two other sessions. During a panel discussion on Economic Justice and Rights, CAMFED’s Executive Director – Africa, Angie Murimirwa, praised Learner Guides for supporting girls to develop the confidence and skills to help them flourish at school and after graduation. Their actions to prevent child marriage and school drop-out were also powerfully underscored in the final session of the Forum. It featured a screening of our film Pathways, followed by a Q&A with CAMFED Association leaders Alice Saisha and Charity Mulenga, both of whom starred in the production.