A Window of Opportunity by George R Vaughan

The plight of Africa and its poverty stricken people never seems far from the headlines these days.

UN meetings, emergency summits, fund raising concerts and continued media coverage ensure that the tragic events in some of the world’s most impoverished nations are never far from the public consciousness.

As a child, if I didn’t finish my food, my parents were always quick to remind me that someone in Africa could last for a week on the half eaten piece of meat or untouched peas and carrots that I’d left unwanted on my plate.

Twenty years on and I find myself rebuking my own son’s waste in very much the same way and asking the question of just what we’ve been doing as a global community for at least the span of my own lifetime.

Why is it that for all the collective government support from around the world, endless celebrity aid functions and billions upon billions of dollars that have been thrown at the region, does there still appear to be such a lack of progress when it comes to countries like Somalia, Niger and Burkina Faso and can a definitive solution ever be identified to improve the situation permanently?

One woman believes she may have discovered an answer although for those familiar with Africa , it isn’t any thing particularly revolutionary, just something that has remained overlooked – quite remarkably - for such a long time.

Ann Cotton is a former teacher who, following a visit to Zimbabwe back in 1991, noticed that there was a worrying trend in the African culture that left most of the female population excluded from the opportunities which existed for many men.

African girls remain some of the most vulnerable females on the planet because all the chips are stacked against them from the moment they are born.

It’s no secret that girls as young as four or five are often fostered to extended families and entered into a life of virtual slavery, forced to do chores until their bodies buckle or their general health collapses.

Added to this, a girl is six times more likely to contract HIV/Aids compared to her male equivalent because she will quickly become easy prey for older men who remain predatory in their sexual pursuits and dismiss the safety of protected sex in favour of what they refer to as “live sex”. It is a tragic irony that the execution of this specific act brings nothing but the promise of an early grave for so many women.

“If a building has dry rot, you don’t just paint over the external cracks as a method for dealing with the problem. You treat the issue from the inside.”

With this in mind, upon her return to the UK , Ann announced to her family (three children and a devoted husband) that she wanted to do something about the problem. From this humble beginning the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) was born.

“It seemed to me that education – something I have been involved with all of my life – had to be the solution here. It was staring me in the face and I couldn’t believe others weren’t seeing it too.

“Back in the early nineties, only 60 children in every 1000 were actually able to get secondary school education. Of that 60, there were probably 7 boys for every girl attending which was hugely disproportionate.

“Following the political changes that took place in Zimbabwe , the numbers of children attending school increased to over 600 for every 1000, but the ratio of girls to boys did not.”

Parents were being forced to make some very difficult decisions about the education of their children. Because attending school required an outlay for clothes, shoes and books, boys were more likely to go ahead of girls as it was perceived that they could better attain paid employment and provide security for their parents in their old age. This left the girls with no option other than to remain at home and slip into a cycle of domestic drudgery and agricultural work from a very young age.

Almost 14 years on and that figure now stands at 71,333 girls.

Over that time, CAMFED, the organisation she started, has now been able to give thousands of women the choice to do what they want to do with their future.

Furthermore, although there are no offices in the United States , they have a board of trustees of which the actor Morgan Freeman is patron and their work has been recognised as high up as the United Nations.

Only recently, Lydia Wilbard a medical student who is working with CAMFED and knows about these hardships first-hand was invited to address the UN and her message was a simple one. Female education is the most reliable form of contraception available and is the only thing likely to halt the spread of AIDS which grips this troubled continent.

They have been bestowed with numerous honours, including International Charity of the Year but as Ann told me, the real work was only just beginning.

“We’re by no means resting on our laurels and we are looking to have a million girls in full time education by the year 2010 but the answer isn’t just to throw money at the problem. I’m not saying funding isn’t needed – of course it is – but with 15-19 year old girls representing the most vulnerable social group in the world, we have to put those funds to use where they will do the most good.

Ann is not a woman to sit still and prior to a forthcoming trip to Zambia in November she is also set to travel to America where she hopes a future collaboration with the Sundance Film Company will lead to a documentary being made which will further highlight the plight of young girls in Tanzania .

“I’ve seen this first hand and I believe quite forcefully that the real solution is within our grasp. For the price of your average take away you can offer one young girl the first steps towards a new life. That has to be worth pursuing.”

It’s difficult to argue with her sentiments.

People like Ann Cotton are a rare commodity and their achievements can often go by unnoticed because they don’t spend their time talking about how to fix a problem, they just go out and find a practical way to resolve it.

I think that she, together with her colleagues at CAMFED, deserve all the help they can get, because every step they make towards expansion means that somewhere in Africa , another girl is likely to discover her own window of opportunity.

For more information on Ann and her organisation or to make a donation then please visit the CAMFED website.