Jenny+L.+9+Social+Entrepreneurship

 Camfed




 * // __What is CAMFED?__ //**

 In the 20th century, when women’s rights were finally getting some acknowledgements in areas like Europe, America and Asia, Ann Lesley Cotton from England started a non-governmental organization for education of young women in Africa to make sure that Africa also goes through a reformation regarding women’s rights. When she visited Zimbabwe to research as to why so few girls actually attended secondary school, she realized that, without education young women, Africa would never get out of poverty and diseases for educated women would have knowledge and sense to avoid HIV/AIDS, early marriage, diseases and poverty for their families. In order to ensure education for young girls in Africa, in 1993, Cotton started a social entrepreneurship: CAMFED.

Currently, Camfed provides support through childhood into young adulthood for the impoverished African children at critical moments in transition from primary to secondary education to choosing jobs and further on. Camfed also builds schools that not only educate the children but also give health and resource support to poor children. Camfed receives helps from parents, guardians, schools and other partnerships to raise money for the children. Camfed’s contributions to the society is continuously increasing as the young women who had gotten Camfed’s support are now sharing their benefits with other girls in the same predicament as they were in without Camfed. These women set up their own branch of Canfed – Cama (the Camfed Association) – and gathered more than 7900 members. Cama is working toward providing economic independence, necessary goods and services, and role models for the younger generation in Africa. They often perceive the Camfed organization as a community of people striving for change.

While the abbreviation originally stood for “Cambridge Female Education Trust,” Camfed has reached out to both poor girls and boys on education and also for their economic empowerment. There are several separate branches of the campaign such as: Camfed International Camfed Zimbabwe Camfed USA Foundation Camfed Zambia Camfed Tanzania Camed Ghana

CAMFED (Campaign  for Female Education) started out by selling baked goods to send 32 girls in Zimbabwe to go to school and since has sent 645 400 children in Africa to school.

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 * Media**: What is Camfed (Comic Strip)

 CAMFED Website: []

**Real Life Example:** Fiona Muchembere  Fiona Muchembere from Zimbabwe is one of the first beneficiaries of Camfed. As an alumnus of the organization, she was one of the founding members of Cama in 1998. She successfully finished her studies in 2000. She is currently an independent woman as a qualified lawyer in Zimbabwe because of the education she was able to receive with Camfed’s supports. As a lawyer, she is helping to prevent lack of education provided to young girls in Africa as well as HIVs and AIDS.

In 1997, she was one of the seven girls who attended a secondary school in Zimbabwe because many of the other families were in poverty and could not afford tuition fees. Despite her economic situation, Muchembere wished to continue her studies in high school and she did, due to Camfed’s support. At her high school, she made friends with the other girls who were in the same situation as her and worked hard to prove to those that did not approve of women’s education that women could be educated as well. After she graduated from university, with a help of a minister who understood her plight, she founded Cama with the friends she made in high school. Cama has established a system where they would support young African women to study business in school and when they have sufficiently ended their education, Cama lends them loans for them to start a business and eventually become independent. Fiona Muchembere is just one example of the many girls that truly benefited from the organization and there are many out there in their communities trying to make a change.

 Five Questions: 

1. Are there any standards as to which girls they provide financial aid? How do they determine who is going to effectively use the money?

2. Why does it specifically target the African continent? Why not other regions that limit the children's education due to poverty and make it intercontinental instead of focusing on one?

3. While Camfed focuses on girls' education in Africa, it does provide some benefits to boys as well. How do they determine the exceptions?

4. What do they do when, hypothetically, one of the girls wish to drop out of school in the middle and pursue their life as a traditional African girl? Would they try to explain to her that it is more beneficial for her to receive education or would they stop funding her and give the money to another girl?

5. Instead of funding individual girls for individual education, with that money, why doesn't Camfed just hire a voluntary teacher and have her teach the girls for free?

**Bibliography**  "Camfed International: Girls' Education and Women's Empowerment in Africa." __Camfed International: Girls' Education and Women's Empowerment in Africa__. 31 May 2009 .

"Camfed USA: Girls' Education and Women's Empowerment in Africa." __Camfed USA: Girls' Education and Women's Empowerment in Africa__. 31 May 2009 .

Camfed. " KPFA Radio interview with one of Camfedâ€™s first beneficiaries." __Camfed USA: Girls' Education and Women's Empowerment in Africa__. 31 May 2009 .

"March 2009 | blog.bioethics.net." __blog.bioethics.net: a Nature Top 50 science blog from The American Journal of Bioethics__. 31 May 2009 .

"PS Behrend Rhythms of Life Gallery." __Penn State Erie, The Behrend College__. 31 May 2009 <http://www.erie.psu.edu/student/Educational%20Equities/Rhythms/RhthmsGallery.htm>.

Title. "UNGEI - What is UNGEI - Camfed (Campaign for Female Education)." __United Nations Girls' Education Initiative__. 31 May 2009 <http://www.ungei.org/whatisungei/index_716.html>.