{"id":81043,"date":"2025-11-18T12:21:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T17:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=81043"},"modified":"2025-12-01T08:32:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T13:32:16","slug":"this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/","title":{"rendered":"This Pan-African Nonprofit Helps Girls Finish School \u2013 By the Millions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
Nonprofit CAMFED works with girls in several African nations to make sure they finish their educations – and thrive post-graduation. (Credit: CAMFED<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Throughout Africa<\/a>, girls struggle to finish their education<\/a>. Hundreds of millions of girls<\/a>, in fact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter CAMFED<\/a>, a decades-old nonprofit focused on ensuring those girls continue to learn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organization\u2019s reach is considerable \u2013  since its founding in 1993 by British teacher Ann Cotton<\/a>, it says it has helped over 7.8 million girls throughout Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi and Ghana continue their schooling. Last year, CAMFED also began operating in Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The need for guidance and assistance doesn\u2019t disappear upon graduation, either. \u201cEven girls who manage to beat the odds and complete their schooling face an abyss when they graduate \u2013 a lack of jobs, opportunities and female role models,\u201d CAMFED told the The Story Exchange in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To combat the myriad hurdles, CAMFED takes a multipronged approach to its work, which is funded by donors and grants. It supports the school-aged girls who are accepted to its flagship program through a mix of financial assistance and critical social connection. Once the girls graduate, they receive career mentoring through its offshoot, the CAMFED Association<\/a>. The organization also advocates for policy prescriptions to the barriers holding girls back, from all tiers of government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact is tangible. Internal reviews show that girls who received help from CAMFED are three times less likely to drop out of school. And nearly 125,000 girls who saw their education through to completion went on to start businesses \u2013 CAMFED estimates that, just between 2020 and 2024, their startups created over 235,000 jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n \"\"\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n \n Afghan Women Are Taking Their Power Back One Lesson at a Time\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

An Intergenerational Network<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A significant contingent of the more than 21,000<\/a>\u00a0active mentors, volunteers and leaders powering its peer mentorship program, and the 313,000 individuals who keep the organization going overall, were once the girls that CAMFED kept in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catherine Bato is one such individual. Today, she\u2019s a member of the organization\u2019s development team, and came to the role after completing her primary education \u2013 with CAMFED\u2019s help \u2013 and then serving as a peer mentor upon her graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born and raised in the Mwanza district in southern Malawi, Bato recalls the money problems that threatened to hold her back. In 2012, when she first joined up with CAMFED, \u201cmy parents could not afford to fund my education, because of some financial difficulties,\u201d Bato told The Story Exchange. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malumbo Mkandawire grew up in Malawi, too, in the nearby Mzimba District. She graduated from school in 2013 \u2013 also with CAMFED\u2019s help \u2013 then became involved with the CAMFED Association soon after. Upon earning her degree from EARTH University in Costa Rica, where she learned climate-conscious farming techniques, she returned to work with CAMFED Malawi as an Enterprise Development Programs Officer, while also running her own agriculture business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of that would have been possible without CAMFED, she told us \u2013 in fact, \u201cat secondary school, I was on the verge of dropping out because of a lack of school necessities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their journeys reflect just some of the barriers that continue to keep girls from their schooling throughout the continent. The problem has worsened since the start of the Covid pandemic, experts say, but the combined struggles of poverty, persistent military conflicts, ongoing child marriage and more have routinely held<\/a> girls back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when steady help is on offer, one can rise above anything, Bato asserts. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned \u2026 is that our background doesn\u2019t define us. We are coming from backgrounds where challenges are there that can derail our future \u2013 but through resilience and perseverance, we can become whoever we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough resilience \u2013 and also, through the availability of support that is on the ground \u2013 one can take action,\u201d Mkandawire says in agreement. \u201cApart from the influence and confidence and connection we get with our learners and the community at large, the power of sisterhood within CAMFED\u201d is a power all its own. ◼️<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n \"Celeste\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n \n Why This Nonprofit Cares About Periods. And How Meghan Markle Might Help\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For decades, CAMFED has ensured that impoverished girls get to learn. The organization\u2019s staying power comes in large part from the students it guided into womanhood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":81044,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"Nonprofit CAMFED works with girls in several African nations to make sure they finish their educations - and thrive post-graduation.","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f","date":"2025-11-18T17:21:25+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m5wasrmb7s2i","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m5wasrmb7s2i\",\"cid\":\"bafyreidnwusnzopxzxwfr4auqgdxavwyc2gkovx77dw4uqb35r5pg6sj4y\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreiccxxv3rgun43rbgaaswbtf4wqn3fw2cwbtvhew2zs4oxhb7sbzui\",\"rev\":\"3m5wasrmkyc2i\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"},{"did":"did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f","date":"2025-11-18T17:21:27+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m5wasulhvg2r","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:l2n6ydtigm3gtra4vb4rfl7f\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m5wasulhvg2r\",\"cid\":\"bafyreidnwusnzopxzxwfr4auqgdxavwyc2gkovx77dw4uqb35r5pg6sj4y\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreibpepbh35duyphib5s7vtho6e33ykom6xqxvplxlztdktga2y6zde\",\"rev\":\"3m5wasulsn62r\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[187],"tags":[19606,19729,21108],"class_list":["post-81043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-education","tag-empowerment","tag-nonprofit-support"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThis African Nonprofit Helps Girls Finish School \u2013 By the Millions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For decades, CAMFED has ensured that impoverished girls learn. Its power comes in large part from the students it guided into womanhood.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Pan-African Nonprofit Helps Girls Finish School \u2013 By the Millions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For decades, CAMFED has ensured that impoverished girls get to learn. The organization\u2019s staying power comes in large part from the students it guided into womanhood.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Story Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-18T17:21:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-01T13:32:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CAMFED-Schooling-Education-Girls-Africa.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"797\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Candice Helfand-Rogers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Candice Helfand-Rogers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This African Nonprofit Helps Girls Finish School \u2013 By the Millions","description":"For decades, CAMFED has ensured that impoverished girls learn. Its power comes in large part from the students it guided into womanhood.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This Pan-African Nonprofit Helps Girls Finish School \u2013 By the Millions","og_description":"For decades, CAMFED has ensured that impoverished girls get to learn. The organization\u2019s staying power comes in large part from the students it guided into womanhood.","og_url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/","og_site_name":"The Story Exchange","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","article_published_time":"2025-11-18T17:21:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-01T13:32:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":797,"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CAMFED-Schooling-Education-Girls-Africa.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_site":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/"},"author":{"name":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f5204a83b27f87166174a6de31eaafc9"},"headline":"This Pan-African Nonprofit Helps Girls Finish School \u2013 By the Millions","datePublished":"2025-11-18T17:21:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-01T13:32:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/"},"wordCount":665,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CAMFED-Schooling-Education-Girls-Africa.jpg","keywords":["education","Empowerment","Nonprofit Support"],"articleSection":["Features"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/","name":"This African Nonprofit Helps Girls Finish School \u2013 By the Millions","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CAMFED-Schooling-Education-Girls-Africa.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-18T17:21:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-01T13:32:16+00:00","description":"For decades, CAMFED has ensured that impoverished girls learn. Its power comes in large part from the students it guided into womanhood.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CAMFED-Schooling-Education-Girls-Africa.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CAMFED-Schooling-Education-Girls-Africa.jpg","width":1200,"height":797,"caption":"CAMFED Schooling Education Girls Africa"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/this-pan-african-nonprofit-helps-girls-finish-school-by-the-millions\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"This Pan-African Nonprofit Helps Girls Finish School \u2013 By the Millions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","name":"The Story Exchange","description":"Inspiration and information for women entrepreneurs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization","name":"The Story Exchange","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","width":500,"height":180,"caption":"The Story Exchange"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","https:\/\/x.com\/TheStoryXchange","https:\/\/instagram.com\/thestoryexchange\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-story-exchange","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/StoryExchange"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f5204a83b27f87166174a6de31eaafc9","name":"Candice Helfand-Rogers","description":"Candice Helfand-Rogers has worked as a journalist for some of the largest news organizations in the country over the course of her career, including CBS Local News and The Star-Ledger. She earned her B.A. in Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University. In her spare time, she enjoys singing with several ensembles in New York City and spending time with her son. Please contact candice@thestoryexchange.org with questions or pitches.","sameAs":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/candice-leigh-helfand\/"],"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/candice-leigh-helfand\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81043"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81258,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81043\/revisions\/81258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}