Primary Education

Girls at primary school in Northern Ghana Camfed works with a network of rural primary schools, enabling them to offer a better educational experience for their pupils. Rural schools in Africa are desperately short of resources. The per capita grants from national governments barely cover even the costs of basic provisions such as exercise books. In many schools, HIV/Aids has robbed children of one or both parents - in some schools this figure is as high as 40%. Surrounding communities are too poor to provide support and families struggle to provide necessities such as clothing and pencils for their children's education.

It is a vicious cycle. Poor children attend poor schools and achieve poor results.

Camfed allocates a 'safety-net fund' to each rural primary schools, enabling schools to provide for essential needs for children's education. The cost of a pair of shoes, a school shirt or medical funds make the difference between a child dropping out of education or continuing at school.

Camfed works in a partnership with school teachers who are best placed on a day-to-day basis to identify children's needs and respond with urgency. Schools maintain accounts of spending that are audited by Camfed's finance team. Camfed extends this support in the form of educational provisions that include books and sports equipment.

In many schools, the entire school population has access to no more than a box of books. Sports equipment gives rural children the chance to practice their skills, boost morale and compete in inter-school tournaments with pride and confidence. Teaching aids give teachers new ideas to enhance children's learning.

The impact of this multi-tiered approach is measured in terms of enrolment, retention and transition to secondary education.

Read about the second stage of the Camfed Model - girls complete secondary education.

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