2008 September | Family Affairs and other matters

CAMFED

30. September 2008

In 1999 Kofi Annan described female education as the “single highest returning social investment in the world today”. I have recently come across a charity called Camfed which is an international, non-governmental organisation founded in Cambridge in 1993 to support the education of girls and women in Africa, specifically in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania.

The core idea behind Camfed’s work is that improving girls’ education, especially at secondary schools where gender differences are more obvious – is the first, most critical step towards the economic empowerment of women. They have found that this approach has directly improved economic growth, reduced family size, cut the spread of aids and reduced child and maternal mortality. An extra year of female education can reduce infant mortality by 5 – 10%. In Africa, children of mothers who have had five years of primary education are 40% less likely to die before the age of five than those of uneducated mothers. Women who have had an education choose to delay marriage and have fewer children.

It seems such an obvious idea. Sponsoring female children to go to school. Some of those women have now set up CAMA, a group for female school leavers which offers basic business training and community outreach.

Interesting that I have chosen to write about a charity in Africa on the day the markets have suffered their worst ever one day fall, as a result of the USA choosing not to rescue the failed banks. Markets are collapsing left, right and centre. I wonder if, during leaner times there is a significant reduction in donations to charities abroad. I hope not.

SUGAR PUFF INCIDENT

30. September 2008

3 Comments

I have just come back from a HUGELY important meeting at my teenage son’s school with several important members of staff. I was attempting to talk knowledgeably about the stretching and strengthening programme they want me to do with my son’s rugby team this year. We were also discussing plans to raise money for an [...]