We are led by young women with a shared background of exclusion, who are stepping up for education and equity and multiplying the investment in their education.
Having themselves experienced extreme hardship and exclusion, our CAMFED Association members are ideally placed to identify and collectively address the issues their communities face. Every day, most especially in a crisis, they are on the frontline, deploying their expertise and partnerships to galvanize community support around the most vulnerable.
People who have experience with inequities are the ones best equipped to design solutions… I’ve been inspired by the capacity of individuals to lift others: an association of women professionals mentoring girls through the same program that paid for their own educations.
The story of CAMFED is the story of a sisterhood of leaders, creating hope, opportunity and change at scale.
This is what sets us apart. Watch the video to experience our model through the stories of the leaders educated with CAMFED support.
35% of our staff globally are CAMFED Association members (CAMFED grads). They understand from personal experience the hurdles girls face, and lead our programs with deep expertise.
Elected representatives of the CAMFED Association sit on all of CAMFED's national Boards in Africa
100% of staff working in CAMFED offices in Africa are nationals of those countries
“The sisterhood represents hope, a safe space and solidarity. I am dedicated to fostering an environment where every member feels valued and able to succeed.”
“Back when I was at school, there were no Learner Guides, no mentors, or CAMFED Association sisters around who could say to me “now you are going to secondary school [and] there are many challenges but I am here to support you.” That’s why I am so passionate about mentoring my younger sisters.”
“The sisterhood network is so important to me because we all share the same background, values and have that solidarity. We are working together. I don’t feel alone. I’m always supported by my fellow sisters.”
Our 3-level model is recognized as one of the boldest solutions for tackling the biggest challenges of our time – and it all starts with supporting a girl to go to school:
We provide girls with individualized financial and material support to attend and succeed in school – including items like decent clothes, notebooks, and menstrual products – and build a nurturing social support network around them.
When girls graduate, we support them to transition to work and positions of leadership through the CAMFED Association — our sisterhood of educated young women who in turn help to support the next generation of girls to go to school.
We partner with governments to transform education systems to better serve the needs of all children.
CAMFED’s three-pronged operating model integrates operational excellence with community championship and the expertise of the CAMFED Association of women leaders educated with CAMFED support. It ensures that we remain accountable to each girl we support, and that her needs are met in a way that is responsive to her specific context. As a result, CAMFED is able to deliver a resilient, highly efficient and ultimately sustainable program that truly serves the needs of our clients, and multiplies the impact of donor investment, even and especially in times of crisis.
Discover our unique modelWilliam Rutcosky $300
Lewis Rice $50
Tamsyn Cowden £1000
Peter Williams £200
Jennifer Deegan £21
Amit Roy £12.70
Peter Weis $106
Sharon Wilson $75
Burkinos Marantz €60
Giulia Mulder €10.80
Lili Giacobino £250
Craig Gason $300
Robert Dobbie £100
Arthur Freierman $158
Denise Anderson $251
