Have you ever wondered what a typical day is like for a schoolgirl in rural Africa or how students are selected for Camfed scholarships? Now is your chance to find out!
As the winners of Camfed’s Live from Africa Challenge on Facebook Causes and SocialVibe, Jordan Ridge and Kristy Green will be traveling to northern Zambia this week – their reward for recruiting supporters to Camfed’s cause on these two social networks, which have more than half a million Camfed members combined.
While in Zambia, Jordan and Kristy will meet students, filmmakers, and young entrepreneurs in the communities where Camfed works – and you’ll feel like you’re right there with them! Besides Tweeting about their experiences from the field, the two travelers will be seeking answers to 10 of the best questions we receive from you, our supporters, and capturing them on video.
Submit a question by leaving a comment on this blog between now and Thursday, March 18th. On Friday, March 19th, we’ll post the 10 questions that we select on our website. www.camfed.org
San Francisco artists Erika Petryszyn, Terri Pagano, Jennifer Roberts, Annie Sexton and Jordan Van Druff recruited more than 30 fellow artists to donate paintings, photographs and prints to a silent auction benefiting Camfed.
“When we watched Camfed’s movie Where the Water Meets the Sky we were so inspired by how strong these girls and women are,” says Erika. “It was clear a little could go such a long way for them. We wanted to do something to help.”
Held at Space Gallery and complete with cocktails, cupcakes and a live DJ, the event attracted a full-capacity crowd and raised more than $4,500 for girls in Africa—enough to send 188 girls to elementary school for a year.
“The fundraiser was a lot of work, a lot of fun and so rewarding,” she says. “It was the least we could do.”
A young woman from Zambia who lost her parents at a young age, Penelope was sponsored through school by Camfed. Since then, she’s accomplished incredible things. Here’s a video update.
If you haven’t yet had the chance to see Where the Water Meets the Sky, here’s an opportunity to catch it on the big screen for free. The film, written by Jordan Roberts (March of the Penguins) and narrated by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, will be shown at the Cubberley Theater in Palo Alto, Calif., on March 16.
Chronicling 23 women in a remote region of northern Zambia as they learn to make a film to tell their stories, Where the Water Meets the Sky focuses on Penelope, a young woman who was forced to drop out of school and provide for herself and her siblings after her parents’ death.
The screening will be held in partnership with the International Museum of Women, the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission, and Tonic.com, and will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Camfed USA Director Brooke Hutchinson.
Staff, students and alumni at the University of Cambridge have raised more than £43,000 ($68,000)for girls in Africa since Camfed was chosen as the University’s 800th Anniversary Charity of the Year for 2009. With these funds, 240 girls in Malawi will be supported to go to secondary school.
“The education of girls resonates down the years,” says Camfed Executive Director Ann Cotton. “I have no doubt that 800 years from now generations will be feeling the impact of these girls who were able to convert poverty to prosperity through education as a result of University members and alumni.”
Over the next year, Camfed would like to raise enough money to support 800 girls through school to celebrate 800 years of education at Cambridge. We need your help! It costs just £15 ($25) a month to provide everything a girl needs to succeed. Help us reach our goal here.
Cake lovers with a conscience raised more than £530 ($845) for girls in Africa at Cristine Patisserie in Cambridge, UK.
Cake shop owner Cristine Eldridge celebrated her patisserie’s first birthday by donating all proceeds from the entire day to Camfed—raising enough to send 37 girls to primary school in rural Africa for a year.
Brazilian-born Cristine decided to support Camfed when she learned the nonprofit had been chosen as the University of Cambridge Charity of the Year during its 800th anniversary year celebration.
“Girls’ education is a cause close to my heart, and I wanted to say a big thank you to all my loyal customers by supporting a local charity that is doing great work,” says Cristine, who spent two days baking more than 200 cakes to prepare for the sale.
“If everyone does a little bit, we can make a big difference,” she says.
