CAMFED Malawi

CAMFED Malawi was launched in 2009 to tackle girls' exclusion from education.

Supporting girls to learn and lead in Malawi

CAMFED Malawi was launched in 2009, and by 2023 was working in 17 districts. Malawi suffers from an acute lack of secondary schools, meaning children — especially in rural areas — often have to travel long distances to school. This makes them extremely vulnerable to exploitation and school drop out. In addition, there is a critical lack of qualified teachers, with a pupil: teacher ratio of 45:1 at secondary level. With very few female teachers, those girls able to get to school lack the role models to help encourage them to stay.

In the rural communities CAMFED serves, the majority of people work in the agricultural sector, which is vulnerable to volatile economic growth and adverse weather conditions. In recent years the country has seen economic growth, but significant challenges remain.

In Malawi, girls from poor families face considerable barriers to access education. Many lack the resources to stay in school, resulting in high rates of early marriage, teen pregnancy, and school drop out. I believe that with the right educational support, every child has the power to break the cycle of poverty. Education is a powerful instrument for improving health, achieving gender equality and socio-economic growth. Through our network of young women in the CAMFED Association, the Malawian government, parents, local communities and Civil Society Organizations, CAMFED supports the most marginalized girls on their journey to independence. Together we can!
Robert Chioza, Engagements Director, CAMFED Malawi

Education ignites our potential

“CAMFED demonstrates that by investing in the education of girls and young women in Malawi, they are investing in the development of the nation and the world as a whole. Powerful, educated young women like myself, possess the ability to disrupt the cycle of poverty and spark long-lasting transformation within our communities. Education ignites our potential and facilitates profound changes in our lives.”

Chisomo Luciano, CAMFED Association National Chairperson, Malawi.

Barriers to education

Children in Malawi face multiple complex barriers including a lack of secondary school places, poverty, and risk of child marriage.

70%
In Malawi, 75.3% of children live below the international monetary poverty line of $2.15 per day.
World Bank (2023)
15%
Only 15% of girls complete upper secondary school in Malawi, and among the poorest children this falls to 2%.
UNICEF (2022)
38%
In Malawi 38% of girls are married before the age of 18, and 8% are married before the age of 15.
UNICEF (2024)

Tackling child marriage

Meet Rose Alexander, a member of our CAMFED Association in Malawi. In this video, Rose explains how she and other young women in this powerful network rally school and community support to end child marriage. Together, they have annulled a significant number of child marriages and supported girls to continue their education.

Read video transcript

Malawi has the 12th highest child marriage prevalence rate in the world, although marriage below the age of 18 is now illegal. The country has committed to eliminate child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. CAMFED Association members like Rose work closely with parents, community members, schools, and social workers to help girls stay in school and out of child marriage.

Since 2009, CAMFED Malawi has....

261K
supported 261,049 students to go to primary and secondary school using donor funds. Some children have been supported both at primary and secondary level.
201K
Of these, 200,990 students have been supported to go to primary school - CAMFED's Safety Net Fund for partner primary schools provides essential items for children to prevent them from dropping out of school.
66K
and we have supported 66,466 students to go to secondary school - CAMFED provides holistic support, that might include school or exam fees, uniforms, menstrual supplies, books, pens, bikes, boarding fees or disability aids.
3.9K
CAMFED Malawi partners with 3,901 schools - We work in genuine partnership with government schools to help improve the learning environment for all students.

CAMFED Malawi provided input into the development of the National Strategy on Ending Child Marriages, and worked closely with the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare to convene a national meeting to develop a plan of implementation. We also supported the formation of a national by-laws framework to prevent child marriage, and were invited by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to join a task force on the National Girls’ Education Strategy.

Importantly, the young women leaders in the CAMFED Association of graduates are now at the forefront of tackling child marriage in their communities, working with schools, parents, education authorities, traditional leaders, social workers and the police to catalyze action for vulnerable girls.

Communities taking action

Together with CAMFED Association leaders, we catalyze the activism of CAMFED Champions in our partner communities to support more vulnerable children to go to primary and secondary school.

1M
Since 2009, 1,041,159 students have been supported to go to school by CAMFED Association members and community initiatives.
667K
Of these, 667,338 students have been supported to go to school directly by CAMFED Association members. Often using profits from their businesses, CAMFED Association members support on average 3 more children to go to school - multiplying the impact of their education.
374K
and 373,821 students have been supported to go to primary and secondary school through community initiatives. This includes parents, teachers, education officials and traditional leaders, who rally resources to support even more children to go to school.
37K
Our movement in Malawi has grown to 37,358 CAMFED Association members helping to form the largest network of its kind in Africa. Young women educated with CAMFED support spearhead our programs and help more vulnerable children to go to school.

Malawi Times highlights CAMFED

This article focuses on the story of Christina, a CAMFED Association member who is pursuing her studies in medicine and her dream to become a surgery doctor, with CAMFED’s support. It also features an interview with CAMFED’s CEO, Angie Murimirwa, who talks about the support network built around each girl we serve, together with communities, schools and governments. This social support, alongside individualized financial and material support, is ensuring many more girls like Christina can learn, succeed, and keep other children in school.

Read the Malawi Times article

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