CAMFED Malawi was launched in 2009 to tackle girls' exclusion from education.
CAMFED Malawi was launched in 2009, and by 2021 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 72:1 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
“Being a girl, I feel proud of myself because I know the saying ‘when you educate a girl child you educate the world’ – it is true. Many girls like myself are being educated with help from CAMFED in Malawi. I’m seeing that girls are now confident enough to do what they want to do. Some are trained in leadership, others in entrepreneurship, and they are developing their communities. I’m making a difference to other people and I know that in the future I’ll achieve something big with my fellow girls in my community. With help from CAMFED I can see that many girls are realizing their potential.”
Elizabeth Teleka, CAMFED Association Chairperson, Malawi
Children in Malawi face multiple complex barriers including a lack of secondary school places, poverty, and risk of child marriage.
In Malawi 70% of people live below the international monetary poverty line of $1.90 per day.
Only 13% of girls complete upper secondary school in Malawi, and among the poorest children this falls to 2%.
In Malawi 42% of girls are married before the age of 18, and 9% are married before the age of 15.
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.
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.
supported 226,164 students to go to primary and secondary school using donor funds.
Of these, 176,533 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.
and we have supported 49,631 students to go to secondary school - CAMFED provides holistic support, that might include school or exam fees, uniforms, sanitary wear, books, pens, bikes, boarding fees or disability aids.
CAMFED Malawi partners with 1,139 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.
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.
Since 2009, 511,218 students have been supported to go to school by CAMFED Association members and community initiatives.
Of these, 320,864 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.
and 190,354 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.
Our movement in Malawi has grown to 29,385 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.
August 24, 2022
Read about how, following her CAMFED-supported education, Tawonga from Malawi is plowing back climate-smart knowledge into her community and supporting young women farmers to increase their yields and create jobs for other young people.
In a feature interview in the Femail section of Malawi News, CAMFED Malawi's National Director, Susan Silika, describes her life and career journey, what drives her, and how women can demand a seat at the table.
This episode of CNN’s African Voices Changemakers filmed in Malawi, highlights the leadership of Angeline Murimirwa, CAMFED’s Executive Director – Africa, and her sisters in the CAMFED Association, using their lived experience to achieve gender equality.
June 16, 2022
In celebration of Day of the African Child 2022, Susan Silika, National Director at CAMFED Malawi, and members of the CAMFED Association are interviewed by the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation. They reflect on the progress that has been made towards children’s rights and removing the barriers to girls’ education in Malawi.
With the profits from my business I take good care of myself and my child. My child is healthy and I am set to give him a good education. I also support my dad, mom and siblings, as well as supporting other family members and needy children. I am also supporting a learner at a boarding secondary school, and I buy one-off small items for other students.
Victoria struggled to walk the long distance to her school in Malawi and her performance suffered. CAMFED supported her to stay at boarding facilities close to the school and she was able to thrive. Today she is training as Nurse and Midwife and aims to give back to her community.
We are thrilled that 190 Mastercard Foundation Scholars at CAMFED Malawi have secured places at university, after graduating from secondary school. We celebrated the young women’s achievements last month at an event held in Blantyre with the Ministry of Education.
Fyness was raised by her grandparents who struggled to provide all she needed to thrive in school. CAMFED supported her with school fees and essential items so she was able to finish her secondary education. Now she is going to study Metrology and Material Engineering at Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) and aims to start her own company when she graduates.
My name is Enelesi. I come from a poor family, but with CAMFED support and perseverance, I graduated from high school and continued to university. Today I am an Associate Lecturer in Geology at MUST University, Malawi and I encourage other young women to study STEM subjects.
Rhoda comes from Zomba District in southeastern Malawi. She has been a member of her local Mother Support Group since 2012. As Chairwoman of this dedicated group, Rhoda leads other parents in their efforts to ensure learners can remain and thrive in school.
Meet Fanny from rural Malawi. She’s one of millions of girls living in a child-headed household, and affected by extreme poverty. Fanny almost dropped out of school altogether, but with support from CAMFED and encouragement from her Teacher Mentor, she is back in school and positive about her future. You won’t meet a more eloquent advocate for the transformational power of girls’ education.
At a rousing event in Lilongwe, Malawi, His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex was joined by The Duchess of Sussex (via live link from South Africa) to meet 50 members of the CAMFED Association. The President and Vice-President of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) were keen to hear updates from our young women leaders work in girls’ education since their last meeting in Lusaka, Zambia.
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