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CAMFED IMPACT REPORT
Camfed’s 2008/09 studies
Throughout this Impact Report, reference is made to
findings from comprehensive studies in Zambia, Tanzania
and Zimbabwe, undertaken by Camfed in 2008/09. The
findings illuminate the context, practices and attitudes that
impede girls’ and young women’s progress, and those that
advance and accelerate it. Studies are planned for Ghana
and Malawi in 2010.
The studies compare detailed information from wellestablished
Camfed partner schools and districts with
findings from similar, newly-established partner schools.
They identify areas that require special attention relating
to core issues such as safety in schools, young women’s
control over their life choices, and community engagement
in decision-making. The comparison provides reliable
evidence of Camfed’s impact to date, and a marker by which
to measure future results.
The delivery of the studies reflects Camfed’s core
philosophy and practice of community-ownership, and its
inclusion of normally marginalized groups. For its Zambian
and Tanzanian studies, Camfed trained local volunteers as
researchers; members of Cama, the Camfed Association of
young rural women school graduates, formed 35% of the
group. These researchers worked alongside teachers, district
education officers and local leaders at every stage in the
process, from pre-testing questionnaires to conducting oneto-one
interviews. They asked their interviewees around
100 questions concerning social attitudes, experiences,
practices and aspirations in order to construct a full picture
of girls’ and young women’s lives in their social contexts. In
Zimbabwe, researchers also gathered in-depth qualitative
data that complemented the statistical findings.
The quality of the resulting information and high level of
co-operation obtained within communities testify to the
efficacy of this approach. This also prepared the ground
for sharing findings with the communities themselves,
in local languages and in forms that addressed varying
literacy levels. External statisticians ensured statistical rigour
throughout the design and delivery.
Camfed trained all volunteers to use technology previously
unfamiliar to them; and while the primary reason for this
approach was greater efficiency over paper-based methods,
an additional benefit was the raised status of the local
researchers and the studies themselves, within a traditional
environment. This also gave volunteers important new
skills to use in future employment as enumerators for other
development-sector studies.
Influencing practice in the education sector is a key goal
for Camfed in sharing these findings. The Zambia Teaching
Service Commission is one partner working with Camfed to
strengthen child protection in schools in light of the Zambia
study’s findings. The data will continue to inform Camfed’s
programs and policy work, and Camfed will continue to
share information with ministries of education in Africa,
international development agencies, donors to education
and young women’s advancement, and rural communities.
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