Camfed’s Model of Governance for Girls’ Education

Canadian Global Campaign for Education Annual Learning Forum

University of OttawaTuesday 28th February

Accounting to the Girl

Governing Principles

1. Protection of the vulnerable and disempowered client

Paramount Principle:

Organising Principles:

2. Transparency and accountability at all levels and to all involved in the process including, critically, the client

3. Partnerships with existing national and community structures

4. Activism and social capital in the place of dependency

5. A holistic and long term approach to the delivery of both resources and protection to achieve a long term outcome

Girls’ education: the dimensions of risk

Transparency and accountability at all levels

Partnerships for accountability

Building activism and social capital

A holistic and long-term approach: the virtuous cycle

Evidence of Impact

Girls’ enrolment, retention and pass rates

*Zambia 2003-2010 Basic and High Schools combined **In partner schools receiving targeted support in Ghana 2007-2001

Social and capital: multiplying educational opportunities

2011 figures provisional

Community activism: tackling child abuse

Nearly 50% of government and community stakeholders in ‘established’ districts reported responding to incidents of students as

victims of physical or sexual abuse, significantly more than stakeholders in ‘new’ districts (21%)

Source: Zambia baseline 2009

Young women’s empowerment

Young women supported through school:

Source: Survey data 2008-11 Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Ghana

Zimbabwe: Research Findings

• There was higher retention of teachers in partner schools

• Secondary school enrolment levels were maintained

• School Development Committees were able to protect themselves as apolitical bodies

• There was greater responsiveness to tackling abuse

In districts where Camfed’s programme is established:

Zimbabwe: Young women’s economic assets

• 83% of young women who had completed 4 years of education and had gone on to set up a business in their communities were the sole income earner in their families

• 93% made a profit in the previous year of economic crisis

• 72% reported using their profits to help other children to go to school

Source: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Effecting systemic change

A new equilibrium

Technology enabling improved governance and

cost-effectiveness

Accounting to the GirlCamfed’s Model of Governance

for Girls’ Education