Doreen never went to school, and was married by age 15. In this video, she talks about how learning to make films about subjects that affect her life has given her a sense of purpose and contentment. (more…)

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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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…)

For Christmas this year, Mary is visiting her brother and his wife in the town of Mbeya, three hours drive away from the home Mary shares with her mother in Iringa, in western Tanzania. Here, she talks about the way she prepares for the holidays. (more…)