Who we are Films & stories News & views Publications Currency: AUD CAD EUR GBP USD Search website Enterprise development Why girls’ education What we do Ignite change Donate Open responsive nav Enterprise development CAMFED helps pave the way for young women to set up and grow rural businesses. They create new jobs and use their profits to support more children in school. In this section How we operate Where we operate Our programs See child menu items Enterprise development See child menu items Learner Guides Transition Guides Climate-Smart Agriculture Guides Your questions answered What sets us apart Our impact Rural businesses as a pathway to independence, leadership and philanthropy After school, graduates in rural Africa have few job opportunities. Yet young educated women from disadvantaged families feel a deep responsibility to provide for their siblings and to support other family members, such as a widowed parent or grandparent. The young women themselves continue to be at risk of early marriage and exploitation as they seek financial security. Through its youth enterprise programs, CAMFED is dedicated to improving the futures of young women beyond the classroom, including in climate-smart agriculture. Generating an income not only supports young women’s economic independence, their life choices, and the prospects for their families; it also enables them to expand their reach as activists and philanthropists. CAMFED works to open up new pathways for young women through training and mentorship programs, and provides access to seed money grants or small loans. CAMFED Association leaders with expertise setting up and running businesses provide training in business, financial literacy and life skills for the next generation of graduates. Young women learn how to plan a business, make a profit and to save money. They also learn about their rights, and gain important sexual and reproductive health knowledge. Together we explore the risk of early marriage – discussing both how to avoid it, and how to raise awareness with other girls and young women. Through partnerships with organizations like Kiva, and through our own group savings and loan schemes, young women can gain access to the funds they need to grow or expand their businesses, in a context where women in rural areas are often considered ‘unbankable,’ because property and land ownership typically devolves to the men in the family. And through partnerships with government and enterprise agencies, as well as vocational colleges, we connect young women to additional help, resources and opportunities to gain the skills and advice they need. CAMFED's Enterprise Development Strategy - Our Ambitions by 2025 As part of CAMFED's 5-year strategic plan, we aim to scale the Enterprise Development Program to 150K Create 150,000 new jobs for young women and members of their rural communities 103K Increase the number of CAMFED Association-owned businesses from 20,000 to ~103,000 52% Grow the average annual income of CAMFED Association-owned businesses by ~52% By establishing rural enterprises, young women gain a vital source of income and create jobs for themselves and others. Their profits enable them to increase family spending on food, education and health. They gain confidence, self-esteem and status in their communities by being able to provide for themselves and their families and are important female role models. The businesswomen save regularly and use their savings to invest in business growth and further education, as well as giving them a safety net in the event of emergencies. They also use their income to support children in school; increasing the value of their philanthropy and the number of children assisted as their businesses grow. Play video Brighter futures through women's enterprise This video gives a short overview of CAMFED’s Youth Enterprise strategy and highlights results from our ‘Shaping My Future’ program in Zambia. Watch to find out the transformative impact of supporting 3,922 young women in the transition from school to independence. A spotlight on CAMFED’s Youth Enterprise Program in Zambia We are really respected, we are really role models. Even the chief sees us as role models, because we are empowered and give back to the community. We are seen as hard workers as well…it’s a strong group of young rural women. CAMFED Association Entrepreneur, Zambia The ‘Shaping My Future’ program was delivered by CAMFED Association members in Zambia between 2013 and 2017. 3,922 young women who had been supported by CAMFED at school participated in the program soon after they graduated from secondary school. Participants received business and life skills training and were assisted to develop business plans. They received a seed grant and mentoring to help them launch and grow their businesses. The report details outcomes and learnings from tracking the program over five years. Highlights include: Business incomes – and the entrepreneurs’ philanthropy to support children in school – continued to grow over time 68% of businesswomen said that their household’s spending on education, health and food had increased since they started their business 53% of entrepreneurs are saving regularly to invest in their business and their further education and to manage emergencies 76% of businesswomen (who couldn’t have afforded school themselves without CAMFED scholarships) are now able to fully finance the education of all of the children in their care, including unrelated children for whom they have taken on parental responsibility. As businesses grow, this continues to increase Participants are taking control of their life choices and are less likely to have married early and begun childbearing than their peers Read CAMFED’s livelihoods and leadership analysis Key outcomes from our 'Shaping My Future' Program 3K CAMFED Association members participating in the program created 3,000 new businesses 4K CAMFED Association members participating in the program created 4,000 new jobs 10K CAMFED Association members participating in the program supported 10,000 children to go to school Invest in tomorrow's female entrepreneurs and ignite a multiplier Supporting girls to learn and women to start or grow sustainable businesses will have returns for generations as they create jobs and prosperity, invest in family health and wellbeing, and support more children to go to school. Monthly Single €11 €11 €30 €30 €55 €55 Can keep a girl in school for a year Send an eCard to celebrate a special occasion Or enter your own amount Donate Meet young women entrepreneurs from across Africa Learn how women’s sustainable businesses are transforming lives STORY MALAWI Luwiza SEPTEMBER 2019 Luwiza owns a piggery, as well as cultivating commercial crops, like soya, Irish potatoes, and maize. She provides jobs for young people, and encourages them to think more about the environment – to cut down on bush- burning and the excessive use of chemicals in farming. Luwiza practices intercropping to preserve the soil, and challenges others to think about all the opportunities in agriculture while protecting the land. Meet Luwiza STORY ZIMBABWE Lindiwe MARCH 2018 Lindiwe is the founder and director of Lee Juice Company. She started the business to meet the demand of hot and thirsty workers passing by her village on the way to and from the mines, and her creativity and ingenuity has paid off. In time, and with support from CAMFED, Lindiwe took the important step of registering her umbrella company – under which sit her juice enterprise, her poultry production business, and her small shop – with the government. Meet Lindiwe STORY TANZANIA Paulina JULY 2017 Paulina gained access to an interest-free loan through CAMFED’s partnership with the online lending platform Kiva, as well as entrepreneurial training and peer support from the CAMFED Association. Through her loan, Paulina has been able to rent a bigger work space, invest in more sewing machines, and purchase her fabric wholesale. Crucially, she has also taken on another employee and is using her knowledge and experience to train graduate apprentices. Meet Paulina Sustainable business opportunities for women in northern Ghana Through an exciting research collaboration with the International Labor Organization and the Mastercard Foundation we explored the agricultural value chains in northern Ghana that offer the greatest potential for female entrepreneurs to create good jobs for themselves and others. The findings, which show that groundnut (peanut) and hand-crafted shea butter value chains offer significant potential, were presented at the 2021 CAMFED-Mastercard Foundation Annual Research and Learning Summit. The report and discussions also detail the constraints that women face and recommendations to help female entrepreneurs grow thriving enterprises. Read CAMFED Ghana’s Rapid Market Assessment Related News and Publications District Business Committees support the ambitions of Young Africa Works In collaboration with the Ghana Enterprises Agency, CAMFED has established District Business Committees to provide tailored, local support to female entrepreneurs. Read the article on News Ghana Training for 1,250 CAMFED Association entrepreneurs in Tanzania In 2020, young women from 32 districts in Tanzania were supported to acquire skills in record keeping, financial planning and more, to enable them to grow their businesses. Read the article on The Citizen Cummins Zambia partners with CAMFED to empower 500 women entrepreneurs Cummins Zambia has partnered with CAMFED as part of its global Cummins Powers Women initiative. Together, we are supporting 500 young women over three years to become financially independent. Read the Cummins Zambia press release Thank you to our generous recent donors Together we are breaking the cycle of poverty Donate Elizabeth Docherty £7 Don and Cheri Stock $100 Tim Huether $500 Sebastien Bonvalet-Nicolle $300 Reisa Mukamal $100 Lesley Holly £5 Richard Foskett £30 Lisa Mandarino $50 David Cockroft £100 Lynn Ferson £10 Günter Kowa €300 Rebecca Nesbit £75 Ronnie Gouz $100 Callie Hamilton $500 Richard Jones $600 Twitter twitter Instagram instagram Facebook facebook Linkedin linkedin Youtube youtube Send an Ecard Work for us Contact us FAQ Privacy Policy Child protection Contact us Accessibility policy Sitemap CAMFED USA 501 (c)(3) EIN 54--2033897 CAMFED Canada Charitable Registration:#84498 8659 RR00 CAMFED UK Reg 1029161 Subscribe to our newsletter Inspiring updates straight into your inbox Sign up now Charity web design by Fat Beehive Copyright © 2021 Enterprise development. All Rights Reserved. Over 90% of every dollar CAMFED spends goes to our programs. See how we do this. Back to top By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. ACCEPT ALL COOKIESCOOKIES SETTINGS