When you
educate a girl,
everything changes
Education is a universal right. It is also a matter of justice.
Camfed believes that every child is entitled to a quality education in a safe
environment and a life as an independent adult.
Education is a universal right. It is also a matter of justice.
Camfed believes that every child is entitled to a quality education in a safe environment and a life as an independent adult.
Education is not freely available to everyone - and in many parts of the world girls are the first to be excluded from it. Girls are the first to drop out of school, and the first to be failed by the system, facing the perils of early marriage, early pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 28 million* girls are out of school. Poverty is the greatest barrier to accessing an education – overcoming this barrier by investing in girls and women is a proven way to improve the health and wealth of entire nations. It's also one of the most effective ways of tackling climate change. With access to education we can do amazing things: launch businesses, become health workers, run schools, and lead governments, making the world a better place for everyone.
* Find out more in the 2015 UNESCO/UNICEF Report Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All
Education changes everything
25%
She'll earn up to 25% more per year in secondary school
90%
She'll reinvest 90% of her earnings in her family
3x
She’ll be 3 times less likely to become HIV-positive
She’ll marry later and have a smaller, healthier family
She’ll invest in her children’s education and support their studies
She’ll resist gender-based violence and discrimination, and change her community from within
Imagine you’re a 12-year-old girl in rural Africa
You went to primary school, loved your lessons, and enjoyed playing with your classmates. But when it was time to go to secondary school you were forced to drop out. Your parents did not have money for school fees, food, uniforms, or transport.
A financial burden, you now have to work to earn money to help your family. You are young and vulnerable and – out of school – likely to have a baby by 14 and three more by 20. You are three times more likely to contract HIV and AIDS than your friends who stay in school. Your children are more likely to be malnourished than those of women who are able to wait longer to have families. You have no power, and no say over your life.
Hear from Grammy-nominated singer songwriter, Joan Armatrading on the dramatic difference that education can make in a girl's path in life, and on the health and education of her future family.
Now imagine you’re a 12-year-old girl supported by Camfed
Camfed steps in to support you, providing you with financial resources and support, dismantling the barriers to your education by partnering with your community, teachers, government officials and traditional authorities to deliver your entitlements. The support is not a one-off injection of money, but a package that allows you to get into school, do well academically, and maximise the value of your education after graduation. You acquire the skills to start a business. You decide when to marry and when to have children. And you reinvest in the community that nurtured you.
“Education helps you learn, and makes your future bright. Without Camfed, I would not be in school.”