International Women's Day, Camfed and Entrepreneurs

It is the centenary of International Women's Day today, an occasion that has led to its being marked in a more general way than is common and reported widely across media which usually ignores the occasion. On the occasion of it this year I would like, as I did when it came to the Seasonal Appeal I made just prior to Christmas, to commend specifically the work of Camfed.


Before there are women there are girls and it is the welfare of girls that is one of the paramount questions currently for anyone interested in international justice. Foremost amongst the considerations of the welfare of girls is education since education is routinely denied girls in many places in the world. Camfed works in Africa, a part of the world where the education of girls is of particular significance since it is of major importance for the possibilities of development there. In the latest films Camfed have released there is a clear emphasis not just on educating girls but, most importantly, on educating them to be able to be leaders and, significantly, entrepreneurs. 


Despite the economic downturn producing a general sympathy for anti-capitalist sentiments the truth is that development of countries still requires a culture in which entrepreneurs are encouraged and, along with this, a culture in which the qualities of such entrepreneurship are cultivated amongst a wide section of the population, not least the female half. So please look at the films, support Camfed's effort and consider donating to their key aim of promoting the empowerment of girls in Africa.

Seasonal Appeal: Camfed International

Whilst the point of this blog is not mainly to endorse charities it is, I think, worth taking advantage of the Christmas period to endorse an international charity that has a very specific and important mission. The charity in question is Camfed International. Camfed was founded in 1993 by Ann Cotton with a general and particularly laudable aim, namely, to improve the chances for girls' education in Africa. Camfed stands for the Campaign for Female Education and its focus is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, the main reason why girls are not educated is due to poverty with families choosing to educate boys first due to the latter's greater chance of employment later. To even the chances for girls, outside action is needed.

Not only is this so but also the economic advantages of girls' education is enormous. Girls are much more likely to invest income earned directly into their family and income is much more likely to be earned if they are educated. Educated girls are much less likely to contract HIV, not least because they are more informed when engaging in sexual relations. Educated girls will have fewer children when they grow older and those they have will be proportionately much more likely to survive infancy. General focus on girls' emancipation, particularly in Africa, is crucial to development as it doubles the work-force and ensures greater opportunities for more equitable relations. Click on the link to Camfed and donate something and support educating a girl because, when you educate a girl, everything changes!

Perfidious Gaul?

Reading through today's copy of the International Herald Tribune I came across the following article suggesting a continued pattern to French foreign policy in West Africa. The pattern is well put in a citation from the piece by Mamadou Diouf as indicating that the apparent champion of the rights of man practices a politics "absolutely contrary to its principles".