In this short film, we tell the story of Yactina, who dropped out of school and left her family at age 13 so she that could work as a domestic servant. Her hope: to earn enough money to pay her own school fees. (more…)

As an administrator for the ministry of education and a member of Camfed’s Community Development Committee in Iringa, Tanzania, Mary Mwakajwanga helps monitor Camfed’s work on the ground. Because Camfed’s programs are designed to reach the most vulnerable girls in any given community, Mary has encountered dozens of girls in the course of her work who have migrated to the city to do domestic labor. Her mission:  to track down children who have been forced by difficult circumstances to leave school and work for a living, and to offer them the opportunity to re-enroll in school with Camfed’s support.

Fatina Kiluvia talked to Mary Mwakajwanga about the conditions that drive young people to leave their families in search of jobs that offer little compensation and a high risk of abuse.

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Kimberley Sevcik
Phone: 415-979-1556
Email: pr@camfed.org

Camfed founder Ann Cotton receives top award from the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Founder Heads Leading Organization Supporting Girls’ Education and Economic Empowerment in Africa

San Francisco, CA (January 10, 2008) — Camfed founder Ann Cotton has been selected from a pool of international candidates as one of five Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs for 2007 by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organization of the World Economic Forum. (more…)

In this short film, we introduce Exildah, a secondary school student in Zambia. Exildah dreams of studying to be a doctor so she can return to her village and provide her community with the high-quality health care that it needs. (more…)

I started school late, at age thirteen. It was very difficult to relate to other students since I was the oldest person in the class. Whenever I made a mistake the other students would laugh at me.

Furthermore, I was always falling behind in my lessons. I lived with my aunt in the Karaga District of northern Ghana, and during harvest time – four months out of every year – I was removed from school to help my family with farming. Many times, I came close to dropping out of school as my parents could not take care of the fees. We were very poor. I was even going to school with bare feet. (more…)

Camfed is delighted to announce that in 2008 we will expand our girls’ education and young women’s economic empowerment and leadership programs to Malawi. The incredible success of the Financial Times Seasonal Appeal for Camfed, which has raised more than £1.3 million/$2.6 million so far, has enabled us to commit to this expansion. (more…)