Social Justice

Social justice starts with girls' education, and is advanced by young women leaders working together on systems transformation.

Inequity and injustice prevail when children are denied their fundamental right to an education

A girl excluded from school becomes a woman excluded from all sectors of society. She has no choice or say over her own body, her future, or the future of her family. She is excluded from taking part in professions or decision-making bodies that affect her life and well-being, and her society at large.

Championing Equity and Social Justice

CAMFED works with partners and communities to level the playing field and ensure women and girls can reach their full potential.

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Video: Girls' education and social justice

Girls’ education is at the heart of sustainable development

An educated girl knows how to access information and services. She has a say in the things that matter to her, her family and her community. Girls’ education also opens the door to economic opportunities, to women’s leadership in business, the public and private sector, and to climate justice. It’s at the heart of sustainable development and leads to positive, lasting change for everyone.

Yet 95% of the most marginalized girls in sub-Saharan Africa never complete their secondary education, trapped in a cycle of poverty

While girls often start primary school on par with boys, more girls than boys tend to drop out of education as the years progress.

Poverty is at the heart of a multitude of barriers that push girls out of school, or keep them from learning

- In Zimbabwe, only 1% of the poorest children complete upper secondary school, compared to 37% of the richest, for example.
- In Malawi, only 2% of the poorest children complete upper secondary school, compared to 37% of the richest.
- In Tanzania, only 6% of the poorest children complete upper secondary school, compared to 62% of the richest.

The odds are stacked against girls from disadvantaged rural communities

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of girls in sub-Saharan Africa were out of school. Millions more are enrolled in school but not learning. CAMFED is working to change that.

90%
Ninety percent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa are unable to meet minimum proficiency standards in reading and math.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2017)
5%
Only 5% of girls from the most disadvantaged communities in rural Africa complete secondary school
Education Commission, The Learning Generation Report (2016)
1%
Only 1 in 100 of the poorest rural girls in Malawi will complete their secondary education, with only 5% attending secondary school in the first place.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s Secondary Education Challenges. UNESCO (2020)

When girls are educated, everyone wins

Girls with access to quality education gain decision-making power, can join the workforce and invest in their families' education, health and wellbeing. Their financial and social philanthropy creates a Multiplier Effect - the exponential impact of girls' education on others' lives.

5x
Girls with secondary schooling are five times less likely to become child brides as girls with little or no education
Global Partnership for Education (2019)
90%
When they enter the workforce, women will typically invest 90% of their income into their families, compared with 35% for men
Clinton Global Initiative
60%
If 70% of women aged 20–39 years completed lower secondary school, there would be a 60% reduction in deaths due to extreme weather events in sub-Saharan Africa.
Effects of Educational Attainment on Climate Risk Vulnerability (2013)

CAMFED partners with communities and governments to advance social justice, and transform education systems to better serve the needs of all children

By educating girls and supporting young women into independence and leadership, we are igniting a movement of experts in delivering social justice. Our women leaders in the CAMFED Association completed school against great odds. They have an intimate understanding of the challenges girls and young women in their communities face, and work with schools, parents, and local and national government officials to devise solutions, building an eco-system of support around vulnerable children.

As those once excluded from education take up positions of influence in their communities, they are demonstrating the value of education, and inspiring a societal shift towards the fairer distribution of opportunity and resources.

Through girls’ education and women’s leadership, we are tackling poverty and all the resulting and interconnected injustices, such as:

Exclusion from education
Gender inequity
Gender-based violence
Child marriage

Teenage pregnancy
Hunger and malnutrition
HIV/AIDS and malaria
Unemployment

When girls succeed and women lead, everything changes

Young women educated with CAMFED support can join our peer support and leadership network, the CAMFED Association. Together, they spearhead CAMFED's programs and movement, changing the status quo for women and girls in their communities, nations and beyond.

279K
The CAMFED Association of women leaders educated with CAMFED support is 278,959 strong and counting, as more young women join to act on behalf of girls in their communities.
60K
59,538 leaders in the CAMFED Association belong to decision-making bodies (equivalent to 21% of members), changing the status quo for women and girls.
112K
112,246 members of the CAMFED Association have started a business so far, helping to support their own families, sending more girls to school, providing employment, and challenging gender norms.

The best minds to address local issues are those with an intimate understanding of the challenges the most marginalized in their communities face

Read the stories of our young women leaders across Africa who channel their empathy and expertise into supporting children's learning and well-being, advancing girls' rights and tackling injustice

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StoryZambia

Natasha

2023

Every day I wake up, I choose to challenge girl child exclusion from education. That is because I have been a rural girl before, I know what it means to face challenges that keep you away from school, but I have overcome them. When you get a chance to get an education, you should grab it with both hands, because there is no greater equalizer than education.

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NewsZambia

Social justice starts with girls’ education

February 18, 2021

World Day of Social Justice (February 20) is a date to recognize how far we must travel to tackle poverty, exclusion, gender inequity, and other critical challenges. These are issues exacerbated by the global pandemic, which threatens to exclude 11 million more girls from school and leave behind all children who cannot access online learning.

StoryMalawi

Rose

2023

As a passionate champion for girls’ education, I have grown a well-established reputation in my community and beyond, as an anti-child marriage activist. I regularly facilitate awareness campaigns around child marriage, speaking out in front of large groups of parents and children, teachers and school committee members, together with local traditional leaders, social welfare officers and the police.

NewsGlobal

5 reasons why child marriage affects us all

December 15, 2017

Our ambitious Sustainable Development Goals agenda serves to create progress that will improve lives across the world. But every year, 15 million girls are locked away from a better life. Child marriage is standing in the way of progress towards many of our 2030 Global Goals

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NewsGlobal

Grassroots leadership benefitting girls, communities, and our planet

April 8, 2021

Last month, members of our network of women leaders — the CAMFED Association — represented our movement at a number of high-profile, international fora. They highlighted the importance of grassroots expertise and action to address the urgent challenges girls face in the wake of the pandemic.

StoryZimbabwe

Primrose

2018

Primrose is a member of the CAMFED Association, a rehabilitation technician, and a disability rights activist. She does not let her disability define her; but her experience has made her a passionate and empathetic activist for others in her situation.

NewsGlobal

Act Now and Don’t Sit on the Fence

June 10, 2020

A powerful blog post penned by CAMFED’s Joana Guo articulates our organization’s commitment to speaking out and taking action against social injustice in all its forms. We must tackle injustice and inequities collectively, wherever we are faced with them — from the deeply embedded, systemic racial injustice causing untold anguish and calls for fundamental reforms in the USA and globally, to the gender inequity which perpetuates cycles of powerlessness, poverty and abuse.

StoryGhana

Joanna

2023

I hope my story will be a huge encouragement to many - showing a person living with a disability who has accomplished much in life. I like to say: “Never be afraid to show the world who you are and what you are made of.”