When Camfed Director Lucy Lake first met Fiona Muchembere, she was working as a cleaner in an office building in Harare – despite having achieved some of the best school exam results in Zimbabwe. Her dreams of going to university seemed far beyond reach. But with Camfed’s support and encouragement, she defied the odds to become the first member of her rural community to go to university and is now a fully-qualified lawyer. (more…)

Women financiers gathered last month to hear how Camfed is turning the tide of poverty in rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa by educating girls. The Competitor Diversity Forum (CDF) was set up by female managing directors from the world’s leading investment banks to promote women in the financial services industry. At their annual charity dinner in London, these high-flying women heard from Camfed’s Executive Director Ann Cotton and Camfed patron Allison Pearson – prize-winning journalist and author of I Don’t Know How She Does It. (more…)

When Abigail’s parents passed away, she was forced to drop out of school. She went to live with her elderly grandmother in rural Zambia, who struggled to support her orphaned granddaughter. With Camfed’s help, 18-year-old Abigail is about to finish her final exams at school. Today, she dreams of becoming a journalist or an accountant. (more…)

My dad was a cook for a commercial farmer. My mother used to work in his fields. Our house was just within the fence of the farmer. With my brothers and sisters, I used to play with his children – Richard and Adam. I am sure they are now big men. It was really a beautiful time for us because the farmer would ask my dad to cook extra food for us. We used to go fishing. We used to ride horseback. (more…)

In January, we brought you the news that Camfed had identified 50 young women from some of the poorest families in rural Tanzania to take up places at teacher training college. In fact, we’re thrilled to announce that, with your support, we have been able to offer support to 84 young women to attend this fast-track one-year teacher training course. (more…)