Camfed is delighted to announce that Professor Penina Mlama – one of sub-Saharan Africa’s leading champions of girls’ education and gender equality – has been appointed as Executive Director of Camfed Tanzania.

Prof Mlama has dedicated her working life to improving girls’ lives across Africa. For nine years, she worked as Executive Director for the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), which empowers women in 32 countries across Africa. (more…)

Dr Stella Bendera is a leading activist in girls’ education in Tanzania. She held key positions in Tanzania’s Ministry of Education including coordinating the Girls’ Secondary Education Support (GSES) programme – a national bursary programme that supported 4,000 girls to attend secondary school. She is currently the Diversity Expert in the Gender Unit of the President’s Office for Public Service Management and sits on the board of Camfed Tanzania. (more…)

Fourteen-year-old Mkude has no parents. He lives with his elderly grandfather in the Morogoro Rural District of Tanzania. In spite of his tiny frame, he earns just a few pence each day by carrying heavy loads and selling plastic bags to buy enough food to keep himself and his grandpa alive. (more…)

After Tukaeje Habibu struggled more than six miles to get to school in flimsy flip-flops, it was not unusual for her to be sent home from class because she didn’t have any shoes. Tukaeje had to leave the house at 5am each morning to get to school on time and – when she was allowed to attend classes – she didn’t return home until the evening. (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…)

In Tanzania, just ten percent of children are enrolled in secondary school – one of the lowest enrolment rates in the world. But the Tanzanian government has set an ambitious target to increase the secondary school enrolment rate to 50 percent by 2010, and more teachers are needed in order to reach this goal. In particular, female teachers are critical to provide a more girl-friendly environment for girls to learn and flourish in a school system where less than one in three teachers are women. (more…)