What’s at Stake When We Can’t Fund Our Work
In November 2023, we launched our first Tanzanian cohort for 15 young women through Cameras For Girls. Each student received a camera to keep, hands-on training, and a year-long mentorship in photography, ethical storytelling, and business skills. These tools and training helped them move from unemployed graduates to paid photographers and storytellers.
In July 2024, we returned for our second cohort and trained another 15 women in Dar es Salaam. Their confidence grew with every photo taken, every assignment completed, and every story told with dignity and purpose.
We left that training with full hearts and a clear plan: to return in November 2025 for our third cohort, welcoming 15 new students ready to step into their futures.
But this year, something happened that too many small charities face; we had to make the difficult decision to pause.
Our model works. We've trained over 200 women across Uganda and Tanzania, with more than 80% now working in media, photography, or communications. Like many organizations led by women operating globally from Canada, we face ongoing challenges with funding continuity, staffing, and visibility.
Despite careful planning, partnerships, and every effort to stretch our limited resources, the funding we rely on didn't come through in time. And so, instead of standing before 15 eager young women in Dar es Salaam with cameras in hand, we are once again doing what small, impact-driven organizations often must do, stepping back to fundraise so we can move forward again.
Amina leading an outdoor session, 1st Cohort, Tanzania, Nov 2023
What This Pause Means
When we can't run a cohort, it's not just a line item in the budget that's affected. It's 15 women whose dreams are put on hold. These are women who've already completed journalism or communications degrees, yet remain locked out of paid work because they lack the tools and training that bridge education to employment.
In male-dominated media spaces, they're often told they can't be hired because they don't own a camera, or that "photography is for men." They are talented, capable, and determined, but without that first opportunity, their voices and stories stay unheard.
At Cameras For Girls, we don't just teach photography. We provide the equipment, mentorship, and confidence-building needed for women to claim their place in media. When funding falls short, we are forced to delay access to that transformation.
Why We're Choosing to Pause Instead of Pushing Through
Pausing is never easy. It feels like telling our students, "not yet," when they've already been waiting so long. But this pause is intentional and necessary.
We refuse to deliver a watered-down program or cut corners. Our four-phase year-long training includes a 4-day in-person workshop, online learning, mentorship, and portfolio development, all designed to lead to real employment. Each student receives a camera, not as charity, but as a professional tool and a symbol of independence. It is also a stance against the gender-based barrier to employment, as these women are told they must own a camera and know how to use it to secure a paid job.
Running a program of that quality means covering real costs:
$1,000 per student for cameras, training, and mentorship for one full year.
$750 for venue rental
$3,500 for trainer travel
$1,500 for catering
Additionally, there are expenses for workshop logistics and materials.
For 15 students, that means roughly $20,000 in training and operational costs, excluding travel, shipping, and on-the-ground coordination expenses. These numbers aren't abstract; they're what it takes to give each student a fair and complete experience.
We could have pushed through with less, but we've learned that integrity in delivery matters as much as impact in results.
What's at Stake When Funding Falls Short
When we pause, what's truly at stake are the stories that won't yet be told.
Each woman who joins our program becomes part of a larger movement, one where women document their communities, capture their realities with dignity, and create visual records of life through their own lens. Many go on to freelance, work for local media houses, or even train others. Some of our graduates have gone from students to mentors, teaching future cohorts.
Every time a camera sits in storage waiting for funding, that ripple effect is interrupted. One woman's journey stalls, and the change she could have created in her community waits with her.
The Bigger Picture
This isn't just about one program in Tanzania. It's about how small charities and community-based initiatives worldwide struggle to sustain vital work due to funding cycles that don't align with real-world needs.
When large-scale grants or corporate partnerships are delayed, the immediate impact is felt not in our office, but in the lives of the women who depend on our next training opportunity to change their futures.
Where We Go From Here
We're not stopping. We're regrouping.
Our goal is to raise $15,000 to fully fund the Tanzania cohort and resume training in early 2025. In the meantime, we're building partnerships, applying for grants, and reaching out to individuals and organizations who believe that women should have equal access to creative and professional opportunities.
Every contribution, whether monthly, one-time, or in-kind, brings us closer to that goal. It helps us place cameras back into the hands of women who are ready to tell their stories, build their careers, and redefine what's possible.
A Final Reflection
Each time we hand a young woman her first camera, I see the same spark: a mix of disbelief and pride. That camera represents more than technology. It's a doorway to dignity, voice, and visibility.
When funding falls short, it's not just programs that pause; it's a girl's potential. And that's what's truly at stake.
We're pausing not because we've lost momentum, but because we're choosing to rebuild with care, to ensure every woman who joins Cameras For Girls receives the quality, respect, and opportunity she deserves.
If you'd like to help us unpause and bring the next 15 women into the program, you can do so by donating to our fundraising initiative. HERE
Together, we can ensure this pause is temporary, and the next chapter begins with 15 new stories waiting to be told through their own lens.