Child Welfare (2010 Q4)
Child Welfare
Featured beneficiary in the CHILD WELFARE category for fourth quarter 2010:
CAMFED USA

Camfed

When you educate a girl in Africa, everything changes. She’ll be three times less likely to get HIV/AIDS, earn 25 percent more income and have a smaller, healthier family.

 

Our Mission: Camfed fights poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change. Our goal: To improve the lives of two million children by 2013.

 

Our Values: Since 1993, we’ve operated community-based programs that place the needs of individual girls at the heart of our work. Here are the values that guide us:

 

Focus on the Girl. All our programs begin with an individual girl in rural Africa. By looking at the world from her perspective, we work to dismantle the hurdles in her way to obtaining an education and living a healthy adult life. We’re answerable first and foremost to her.

 

Involve the Community. Change can’t happen without community support. We believe people living in rural communities are best placed to solve the problems around them. Community members of all levels help with our program design and implementation.

 

Operate Transparent, Accountable Programs. We place transparency at the core of our operations. Unique social and financial auditing systems are used in a monitoring process that safeguards girls and young women.

 

Our Approach

Here are a few ways we operate to ensure transparency and efficiency, maximising the benefits of our programs for girls in Africa.

 

  • There are just two transactions between a donation and the benefiting girls, each of which is under our control.
  • The surrounding community knows the criteria by which girls are selected for support.
  • Parents or guardians know the specifics of their daughter’s Camfed entitlement—from the cost of school fees to the number of pairs of socks she should receive.
  • The accounts of all partner schools are audited by us.
  • Camfed-trained local mentors at each school give girls protection and emotional support throughout their education.

(from the Camfed USA website. Accessed 13 Sept 2010)

LEARN MORE ABOUT CAMFED USA
Website: http://us.camfed.org
Charity Navigator: Camfed USA
ABOUT THE SELECTION PROCESS

Foundation Beyond Belief highlights ten charitable organizations per quarter. Among other considerations, beneficiaries are chosen for efficiency, effectiveness, moderate size (annual budget under $10 million), compatibility with humanist focus on mutual care of this world and this life, no direct promotion or proselytizing of a particular worldview, and geographical diversity.

Active members can help us choose future beneficiaries by researching and nominating charities and by discussing, debating, and advocating for the causes of their choice through our social network and discussion forums. Final decisions are made by the Board, but collective member input is among the most important considerations.
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