Every evening, 15-year-old Rashida* returns home from school, changes out of her uniform, and rushes to a neighboring farm to help her mother harvest vegetables. Her father is disabled, so the modest profit the two of them earn must cover food, clothing and other necessities for all seven children and their parents. Despite having precious little time to study, Rashida is one of the top students at her junior secondary school. But with so much responsibility on her small shoulders, she admits that it is sometimes hard for her to imagine a more promising future.

Last year, Rashida was invited to join 155 other girls at Camfed Ghana’s first Girls’ Career Camp, a program designed to inspire girls growing up in the country’s Northern Region to dream big, and to support them to pursue those dreams. “We organized this camp because we wanted to let girls know that even if they are struggling with poverty, their lives will not be defined by limitations,” says Dolores Dickson, Camfed Ghana’s Executive Director.

Over the course of five days, the camp led the junior and secondary school students through a range of experiences and career opportunities that were entirely new to them.  Dr. Agnes Apusiga, a lecturer from the University of Development Studies, ran the workshop on goal-setting and career choices, describing the universities and training colleges in Ghana that could help them achieve their aspirations. Participants then visited the University for Development Studies, where they toured the medical school and science labs. They were taken on excursions to Tamale’s sports stadium, and to the airport, where they watched Ghana’s air force perform a series of drills – noting with surprise that there were several women among the cadets.  Another highlight was a workshop at the computer lab at Tamale Secondary School. Many of the girls had studied information technology from a book but had never before seen a computer. The students’ initial uncertainty about how to interact with the machine soon transformed into impatience and excitement, as they jockeyed for a turn at the keyboard.

“When the girls arrived at camp, they were not ambitious, because they didn’t have any idea what the world held for them,” says Eugenia Ayagiba, Project Officer with Camfed Ghana. “Many had scarcely traveled beyond their own villages.”

“I think the most important thing that happened at the camp is that we opened a window of hope for a group of girls coming from backgrounds of deprivation,” says Eugenia. For Rashida, who has been ridiculed in the past by her schoolmates because of her father’s disability, the experience was transformative. “She told one of the camp mentors that when she is at school, she often feels like a misfit, and she prefers to keep to herself,” says Eugenia. “But at the camp, it was different. She befriended girls who have similar struggles. She took part in every single activity, every single game. On the last day, she said to her mentor, ‘The camp has challenged me to study hard. Now I see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.’

*Rashida’s name has been changed to protect her privacy

2009 is a very special year for Cambridge. The University is celebrating its 800 year anniversary, and as part of the celebrations it has chosen Camfed as its Charity of the Year.

Throughout 2009, the University of Cambridge will use its influence as a preeminent global institution to raise awareness about Camfed’s work in Africa and the vital role of girls’ education in the fight against global poverty.

“When a group of farsighted individuals established the University of Cambridge in 1209, they were part of a tiny educated elite in the world,” said Camfed’s Founder and Executive Director Ann Cotton. “Today, 800 years later, the University of Cambridge is a global leader in higher education. We are delighted to partner with the University for this special anniversary year to expand access to education for girls in Africa. The theme of the celebrations –‘Transforming Tomorrow’ – perfectly mirrors Camfed’s work, which supports this generation of girls to go to school so that they can become tomorrow’s leaders and go on to transform their communities.”

All the money raised through the celebrations will support girls to go to school in rural communities across Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Tanzania and Malawi.

At the beginning of December, a Camfed donor pledged to invest $10,000 in keeping 400 girls in school through Camfed’s Safety Net Fund program if we could persuade 5,000 new supporters to join our Facebook Cause by June 1st 2009. We were delighted to see that, with the help of a devoted group of champions, our Cause had attracted 1,000 new supporters in less than a week. In less than two weeks, we were halfway to our target!

Inspired by the energy and motivation behind our Cause, our anonymous donor pledged to put an additional $5,000 toward educating African girls if we reached our goal of 5,000 supporters before December 31st. We reached that target almost two weeks early—on December 20th—and the number of Camfed Cause supporters continues to grow, now past 6,000.

Camfed would like to extend our profound gratitude to everyone who has helped spread the word to friends, family, and colleagues, and to the thousands of new supporters who are now part of Camfed’s mission to make sure that the most disadvantaged children in the world have access to the opportunities unlocked by education. We look forward to continuing to work together with this group to grow our community even more! If you haven’t had a chance to join Camfed’s Cause, visit www.causes.com/camfed.

We were thrilled to wake up this morning and discover a blog post about Camfed on the Huffington Post! In the piece, Robert Tolmach, the CEO of Changing the Present—a terrific online resource for charitable gifts—describes the way that a pair of school shoes can change a girl’s life.

His cleverly titled, “Shoes Aren’t Just for Throwing” explains why sturdy shoes are essential for children walking long distances to attend school in rural Africa—but that they are beyond the financial means of many families. In fact, children in Africa routinely drop out of school for want of a simple pair of shoes.

We’re honored that Robert Tolmach chose to highlight Camfed, and we hope that his post will encourage you to consider keeping a child in school by donating a pair of shoes by visiting Changing the Present.

Camfed was launched in Zimbabwe 15 years ago, so our roots there are deep and our community relationships are well-established. But with the country’s economy in collapse, we are encountering increasing challenges in carrying out our mission there. Thanks to the dedication of our Zimbabwe staff and the resilience of the communities where we work, we have been able to keep our commitment to provide education to the country’s most vulnerable children. But with most of the population struggling to meet their basic survival needs, vulnerable children are becoming the rule rather than the exception.

Camfed’s Director of Operations and Resources, Luxon Shumba, a Zimbabwean national, just returned from a field visit to his home country. He talked to Camfed’s Information and Media Relations Manager, Kimberley Sevcik, about the suffering he observed, and about how Camfed is negotiating the tremendous challenges of working in Zimbabwe.

Kimberley:  Tell me about what you saw on the ground.

Luxon: The situation is really desperate. People are living from hand to mouth.  I don’t understand how they are managing. Goods in the shops are priced in U.S. dollars, but people are earning their salaries in the local currency, which is valueless.  The inflation rate is currently estimated at 231 million percent, and the local currency, which once traded at one U.S. dollar to ten Zimbabwe dollars is now trading at one U.S. dollar to ten billion Zimbabwe dollars!  People simply cannot afford to buy anything

Even growing your own food is a problem.  Last year, some regions of the country were hit by a drought, so farmers were forced to use all of their seed, rather than reserving it to plant this year.  My brothers and sisters are still in Zimbabwe, and all we talk about when we get together for a meal is how they are going to continue to survive.

How is the crisis affecting Camfed’s program in Zimbabwe?

The program is continuing because of the community structures we have in place—committees made up of mothers and fathers and local school officials who are devoted to the welfare of the children. But they are overstressed because they are fighting for their own families’ survival while simultaneously trying to support the community’s most vulnerable children.

Hunger is a fundamental problem. I visited one school in a district called Wedza, and although the children were there, and they were attending classes, they were going to school on empty stomachs. How can you expect a child to concentrate in school when she has not eaten all day? I also spoke with teachers who had not collected their salaries in four months, because the cost of transport into town exceeded their salaries. How much longer can they go on teaching with no compensation?

While visiting Wedza, I met with headmasters of schools and parents and we discussed how we could keep children and teachers coming to school. We’re assessing a number of emergency measures, including offering incentives to teachers, and giving block grants to schools that would allow them to provide food for the children.

The people I met with sent a plea to the outside world for additional support. They are very much hoping that Camfed and the donor community will not be discouraged by the ongoing problems, but will instead continue their support by all means possible.

Was there anything you saw or heard while you were in Zimbabwe that particularly moved you?

Despite the near impossible challenges of operating in Zimbabwe, it is amazing beyond belief to see the commitment of Camfed’s community partners. These people are volunteers, they receive no payment, and they are scarcely able to survive. Even the government officials who work with us from various ministries earn next to nothing. But all of these people believe passionately in the need for education and they continue to serve with resolute commitment.

In countries where access to education is a given, few of us are aware just how precious it is to children who cannot take it for granted. We asked a group of secondary school students in the Wedza district in eastern Zimbabwe why they felt it was important that girls go to school. Their answers reveal a deep desire for knowledge, for respect, and for opportunity. They remind us that education makes all the difference between a life of limitations and one of possibility.

Lorraine
By going to school I am becoming a role model in my village. I am a living example to my brothers and sisters that it can be done. Success is not reserved for the elite class. Anybody can make it big in life including us from the dust. I want everyone from my village to appreciate that it’s not where they came from that makes them prosper but how much effort they put into pursuing their dreams.

Kudzaiishe
I was forced to drop out of school for a term for financial reasons, and during that time, I felt hopeless. When schools opened for second term I was lucky to be selected as a Camfed beneficiary. Since then I have never looked back.

I love going to school because it gives me a chance to meet new people with different ideas about life. Education is an investment that will stay with me throughout my life. It is mine to use as I wish and it can never be taken away.

Priscilla
It is important for me to go to school because it will me put me in a position to invest in the next generation–meaning that if I become an educated mother, I am more likely to send my children to school.

Kudzai
Education is important because it puts girls on equal footing with boys. Education is the foundation for development and prosperity. When a woman is educated she can become empowered, independent and responsible. Surely with all these qualities she can find herself a job and look after herself and her family.

Charity
It is important for a girl to get an education because nowadays life without education is not life. With an education, I’ll be able to prepare for my future. I’ll be able to select the profession that I want. I am in love with the subject of commerce, but my dream is to become a pilot.

Ever since Camfed started to assist me, I have had the feeling of belonging. Knowing that everything is catered by Camfed—school fees, books and uniforms—gives me the energy to work even harder.

Envioleta
After I finished primary school, my parents could no longer afford my school fees. I spent eight months at home herding cattle and goats instead of going to school like any other child.

I’m very relieved to be back at school. I want to get an education so that I can be enlightened on my rights as a woman. I have sadly realized that the reason why most women are abused in all facets of life is because they are ignorant of their rights.

Melody
If a girl goes to school, she has an opportunity to identify her strengths and choose her path.  Education is a form of emancipation.

Vimbai
Going to school is the only way I can qualify for a professional job, and the only way to elevate my status so I am recognized in society. With an education, I will avoid being a burden to other people.

If I was not in school right now, I imagine I would be married. That’s another good thing about education–educated women marry many years later than women with no education. They marry after they have had a chance to accomplish their dreams.