Sixteen finalists have been chosen from the 400 journalists who entered the Guardian newspaper’s Development Journalism Competition.

Two of these finalists will now get the chance to visit Camfed’s work in Zambia and Tanzania. Their names will be announced on August 1st, and their articles will appear in the Guardian in November 2008.

Camfed is one of eight charities collaborating with the Guardian in this ground-breaking competition, which challenges amateur and freelance journalists to look behind the headlines and investigate why 2.7 billion people around the world are still living in poverty. (more…)

by Vicky Anning, Writer-in-Residence

A team of 16 runners braved wind and rain to take part in the British 10K London Run on Sunday, July 6 for Camfed. So far the intrepid team has raised more than £11,000 for girls in Africa, which is enough to buy 1,466 pairs of school shoes.

A pair of sturdy school shoes costs just £7.50, but this is beyond the reach of many families in the rural areas of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana and Tanzania where Camfed works. This can effectively deny girls the chance of an education – because shoes are a requirement for children to go to school. (more…)

Camfed’s Executive Director Ann Cotton is featured in The Tactics of Hope, a new book that highlights the innovative work being done by the world’s top social entrepreneurs to alleviate poverty, promote social justice, and restore the health of the planet. Written by former U.S. diplomat and international business professor Wilford Welch, The Tactics of Hope describes how Camfed has helped to break the cycle of poverty for thousands of girls and young women in Africa through education.

The book aims to inspire budding social entrepreneurs by sharing concrete solutions for action – and demonstrating, through the stories of 27 people who had the courage and passion to act on their dreams, that everyone has the power to change the world.

In his foreword to the book, former Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes:

“The potential  . . . of individuals throughout the world to bring about positive change is enormous, and never before have we lived in an era so ripe with opportunity to make a difference.”

To order The Tactics of Hope, go to http://www.tacticsofhope.org/

Read an excerpt from the introduction: http://www.tacticsofhope.org/intro_toc#INTRODUCTION

Learn more about social entrepreneurship:

• Visit the Skoll Foundation website and find out more about the organization that awarded Ann Cotton the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2005
• Read an interview with Ann Cotton about social entrepreneurship in the Guardian.

Leading Camfed alumna Fiona Muchembere features in a thought-provoking interview about social entrepreneurship with BBC World Service presenter Peter Day.

Interviewed at the 2008 Skoll World Forum at Oxford University, Fiona talks about the power of education to transform lives and strengthen communities. With the support of Camfed, which was founded by social entrepreneur Ann Cotton in 1993, Fiona was the first girl in her rural community in Zimbabwe to attend university. After graduating as a lawyer, Fiona is now in a position to support 22 members of her family through school. (more…)

Camfed is still looking for a few more people to pull on their running shoes to raise money for desperately-needed school shoes for girls in Africa.

The British 10K London Run has sold out for the past three years, but Camfed has a handful of places left for the July 6 event. It’s a fantastic opportunity to join tens of thousands of other runners as they race through the heart of London, past landmarks like St Paul’s Cathedral andBuckingham Palace.

Over the past two years, runners have helped to raise more than £17,000 for Camfed by taking part in the run – which means Camfed has been able to buy shoes for 2,266 girls in sub-Saharan Africa who would otherwise not be able to go to school.

A pair of sturdy school shoes costs just £7.50, but this is beyond the reach of many families in the rural areas of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana andTanzania where Camfed works. This can effectively deny girls the chance of an education – because shoes are a requirement for children to go to school. Not only this, but making the long journey to school in bare feet is painful on the often scorching earth – and without protection, it’s not uncommon to pick up debilitating diseases such as hookworm along the way. A decent pair of shoes can make such a big difference in the lives of African girls living in rural poverty.

To join the Camfed team, send us an email, phone 01223 362648 before Friday, June 27. Or visit our 10km race page to find out more.

By Vicky Anning, writer-in-residence

When the writer Lisa Grainger was growing up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), she loved nothing better than listening to the tales told by her nanny, Ida, round the fire. Twenty years later, she gave up a full-time job as the Features Director of Elle to return to her native Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries to gather stories that have been passed down by generations of grandmas (or “gogos”). (more…)