Fairuza Abdul-Rashid Safian, National Director, CAMFED Ghana says her outfit aims to execute a well-thought through support system targeted at most marginalized girls to help them transition to secure meaningful livelihood, join CAMA network and forge to get the best practices in education system at scale.
Fairuza Abdul-Rashid added that CAMFED has also developed a new strategic plan between 2024 to 2029 to set a game changing ambition based on past experiences.
Fairuza Abdul-Rashid said this during the 11th media partnership meeting in Tamale on Thursday, 31st October, 2024, Mariam Hotel.
“As part of planned activities for the next six (6) years, CAMFED Ghana will implement a comprehensive support system targeted at the most marginalized girls, enable young women to transition to secure livelihoods and join the CAMA network, and drive adoption of best practices in national education systems at scale.
CAMFED has also developed a new strategic plan for the period 2024-2029. Our 2024- 2029 strategic plan builds on our experience and momentum to set a game-changing ambition. Over the years of implementation, CAMFED plans to triple its impact over 30 years during the six-year period. The strategy represents a progression from CAMFED’s existing work and not a change of direction. The core components of CAMFED’s model therefore remain in place and are organized into three levels of work”.
Fairuza Abdul-Rashid noted that based on the mid-year key performance indicators, the number of girls receiving economic support (bursary) at secondary level is 27,406. In total, 738,312 girls have been supported with bursary since the beginning of CAMFED operations in Ghana. The number of enterprises by mid-year stands at 427. In total, 36,364 enterprises have been supported since the beginning of CAMFED operations in Ghana. The number of CAMA members at the end of 2023 stands at 68,924.
She said CAMFED’s vision is of a world in which every child is educated, protected, respected and valued, and grows up to turn the tide of poverty. As the most effective strategy to tackle poverty and inequality, CAMFED multiplies educational opportunities for girls and empowers young women to become leaders of change. Our focus is on girls and young women in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. This is where girls face acute disadvantage and where their empowerment will have a transformative impact.
In Ghana, CAMFED operates in 46 districts across the Northern, North East, Savannah, Bono, Bono East, Western, Eastern, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Upper East, Upper West and Central regions. We support girls and young women to be equipped and capacitated in order to be able to achieve their fullest potentials.
In Africa, CAMFED works in six countries namely Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi, and now Kenya
She highlighted that, the Coordination of CAMFED’s work is increasingly driven by the CAMFED Association, the alumnae network of young women who themselves received support from CAMFED to attend school and are now leaders for girls’ education in their communities. Currently growing across the six operational countries in Africa, the CAMFED Association is a strong social movement which is transforming the landscape of girls’ education and women’s empowerment in Africa. CAMFED Association members support each other through this network, using it as a platform to become agents of change within their communities and beyond.
CAMFED has built strong partnerships with the media other formidable institutions across the country. The partnership has assisted CAMFED work together in equal terms for mutual benefit
“On the partnership and advocacy front, for CAMFED, partnership means working together on equal terms in a formal, mutually agreed collaboration with shared goals and responsibilities. We collaborate so that we can benefit from the skills, knowledge and resources of others, and so that they can benefit from ours. This is why CAMFED continues to seek and forge partnerships with a wide range of organizations, including government.
It is in this vein that this year, we have signed a partnership Memorandum of Understandings with the National Service Authority, Absa Bank Ghana Limited, and TECHAIDE. I wish to applaud the Mastercard Foundation, the Ministries of Education, Food and Agriculture, Gender, Children and Social Protection, as well as their departments and agencies for their continuous collaboration with us for the implementation of programmes and activities that serve the interests of school children and young women building enterprises”.
“CAMFED values and cherishes the role that the media plays in the socio-economic development of any society. CAMFED has worked to build a mutually beneficial strategic partnership with the Ghanaian media as partners in development over the years.
This meeting therefore provides a unique opportunity to brief the media about our work and to discuss ways in which the media can advance our programmes and activities”.
There were presentations on CAMFED programmes and key upcoming activities for 2025 by Christian Zico Agbebo (Programs Manager),
highlights of communications and media activities for 2024 by George Adorshie (Strategic partnership and communications), a presentation highlighting CAMA activities for 2024 by Ramatu Abubakari (CAMA National committee chairperson), presentation on key performance indicators for 2023 by Sayuti Abdul-Salaam (Manager, MERL), as well as overview of CAMFED child protection and safeguarding policy by Martin Mousayir Kuunyem (Snr. Programmes Officer).
An open forum offered a platform for the media to seek responses to their concerns.
Abdulai Zulkaninu
