Secondary School Bursaries

CAMFED’s flagship funding program provides holistic support to girls from the start of secondary school to completion. Targeted support includes school fees, exam fees, school uniforms, books, school equipment, and sanitary protection. Since 1993, CAMFED has provided secondary school bursaries to girls from poor, rural communities in Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The bursary scheme targets girls selected by communities themselves as the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Many are orphans and at the highest risk of dropping out. CAMFED guarantees that all girls identified to receive bursaries have the opportunity to complete a full cycle of secondary school, which is a four-year period in most of the countries in which we operate. CAMFED bursaries, combined with the work of CAMA's Learner Guides, who deliver life skills and study sessions, have encouraged regular school attendance in partner schools while lowering drop-out rates. These school retention rates are an impressive achievement in a context of high drop-out rates in the countries where we operate, especially for girls in rural areas.