Endorsements

Morgan Freeman, internationally acclaimed actor and Camfed patron

Morgan Freeman "For millions of children, especially girls, the gates to education are still firmly closed because their families just cannot afford what it takes to open them. Without the basic essentials of pencils, books and school clothing, a girl cannot claim her rightful place in the classroom. This blights her whole existence. She takes her cue from a world that suggests she is inadequate, poor and undeserving. I am proud to support the work of Camfed that is placing girls centre stage and enabling them to show the world their capabilities, their intelligence, their creativity and the infinite potential that is in each and every child. I urge you to join with me in supporting Camfed and multiply girls' access to education in Africa."

Bill Clinton, former US President

At the closing session of the Clinton Global Initiative in 2007, former President Clinton focused on the critical role of girls’ education for social cohesion, economic growth, and its impact on the challenge of climate change. Introducing Camfed, he said:

“Everything you hear people say about climate change, everything you hear people say about resource depletion issues in the world, is going to be dramatically aggravated if the projected population increases in the world occur… There is nothing that will really stop it effectively except putting all the girls in the world in school, and getting the young women jobs and access to the job market, and the opportunity to build a stable life; they will delay marriage and have fewer children… So, I thank you and your partners and we wish you well.”

Martha Lane Fox, co-founder and former Group Managing Director of Lastminute.com

“By supporting girls through school in some of the poorest parts of Africa, Camfed is transforming their life opportunities – giving them the chance to become doctors, lawyers, teachers and businesswomen. Once these girls have left school, Camfed also helps them to set up their own small businesses. As soon as they become economically independent, they can also support other children in their rural communities through school – as well as supporting their own children in the future. So these young entrepreneurs become philanthropists – setting in motion a virtuous cycle that is really helping to break the chain of poverty in some of the poorest rural communities in the world.”

Chief Mutekedza, traditional leader of the Chikomba District of Zimbabwe

“Girls without education are like refugees in their own Motherland … The battle against poverty can never be won until all our girls are in school. I am working with my community to bring all our daughters to school.”

Allison Pearson, best-selling author and journalist

“For just £75 per year, the price of a pair of shoes, you can help Camfed to support a girl through secondary school for one year. With the opportunity of education, we know that the risk of HIV and AIDS for each girl will be dramatically reduced. We know that she will delay motherhood beyond her teenage years. We know that she will be able to choose her sexual partner and that her children will thrive. She will go into a profession or start her own business, create jobs and help build the economy.”

Howard Morris, Chief Executive, Denton Wilde Sapte

“We're proud to provide Camfed with pro bono advice. Educating young girls makes an impact on the communities in which they live. It can help to provide securer futures, increases self-respect and an awareness of health risks. Camfed's focus on female education in some of the world's poorest rural communities is important because girls are often excluded from education, leaving them with far fewer choices and opportunities in life.”

Peter Sherratt, Vice Chairman, Lehman Brothers and Camfed International Board Member

“Camfed can make, and is making, an enormous difference in fighting poverty, AIDS and injustice in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a strong and successful track record of getting African girls where they want to be – at school.”

Dr Isaiah Sibanda, former Permanent Secretary for Education and Culture in Zimbabwe and Camfed Zimbabwe Board Member

“Camfed’s work is one of the pillars of the system and – because of the growing network of graduates from the Camfed programme – they are able to reach out to some of the most deprived rural areas.”

Doreen Mukanzo, TV presenter and Camfed Zambia Board Member

“I believe educating girls in sub-Saharan Africa is crucial because they are vulnerable, especially since our region is so devastated by HIV and AIDS and many of the children are orphans. Educating girls is the only way. If you are not educated, that’s the end of you.”

Dhiren Shah¸ Managing Director, Greenhill and Camfed USA Board Member

“What I like about Camfed is that it is very effective at getting resources to where people need it most. And it does so in a way that maintains the dignity of the girls who receive assistance as well as their parents. Rather than giving a handout, it offers girls the chance to make the most of the opportunities that come with completing a high school education. It’s all about helping people to help themselves.”

Paul Needham, Internet entrepreneur and Camfed USA Board Member

“Camfed is clearly impacting the lives of girls and young women in Africa but not to be forgotten is the impact Camfed is having on its many supporters, by providing opportunities to make real investments in a better world. The value truly flows in both directions.”

Fiona Macaulay, Founder and President of Making Cents International and Camfed USA Board Member

“The difference I see Camfed making is the educational opportunities that girls are given, which are crucial for the long-term economic development and health of their communities. The completeness of the cycle – ensuring that girls are educated and providing on-going livelihood opportunities – guarantees the effectiveness and long-term impact of Camfed’s program.”

Anne Lonsdale, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Cambridge and Camfed International Board Member

Anne Lonsdale “Camfed is letting young women in Africa tell their stories rather than imposing its own. Many NGOs are not listening to what’s going on. They simply impose their own models and fly in expats to implement their programmes. Camfed is different. Right from the beginning, founder Ann Cotton listened to the people she met and found out what they needed, working with some of the most marginalised young women in rural communities in Africa to make sure their voices were heard. And now these young women are in turn helping their communities out of poverty. It is extraordinary to see the effect of Camfed’s alumnae coming together to help each other and their communities. Through their own philanthropy, these successful young women are making sure that younger children have the opportunity to fulfil their potential too.”

Doris Lessing, Internationally-acclaimed author, and Camfed patron

Doris Lessing "I feel especially advantaged to appreciate Camfed, which for years now has been steadily, quietly, devotedly finding the money to get girls into school and college. As we all know now, if we want to raise the level of a population's education and standard of living, then it is the girls, who are the future mothers and teachers, who must be educated. It is startling to see illustrated the great difference in the fortunes of an uneducated girl, who will be married or pregnant by the time she is sixteen, or might be a single mother, with a future of drudgery and childbearing, often neglected by a husband if she has one, and too often with the burden of finding money to feed and clothe her children - with a girl who has been lucky enough to get an education."

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