Overcoming gender inequality and poverty, one camera at a time.
2023 “CAMERAS FOR GIRLS”
PHOTO CONTEST FUNDRAISER
Throughout March and April, Cameras For Girls, a registered Canadian charity, is hosting a photo contest for photographers worldwide. Through this competition, we want to empower you to show your talents to voters and our selected panel of judges globally.
If you are a beginner, hobby or pro photographer, this is your chance to embrace your inner photographer!
Our Mission
Cameras can do more than you think.
They can empower a female in Africa.
Cameras for Girls is a registered Canadian charity which works for Female Empowerment and Gender Equality in Africa, using photography as our medium. We provide our students with a camera to keep and a 4-phase photography and business skills-based curriculum to support their endeavours to become paid journalists in a male-dominated space.
Learning to capture their world with their new cameras gives young women a recognized skill that immediately improves their options, helps reduce gender inequality, and fights poverty.
Join our mission to empower females in Uganda and, soon, across Africa through photography.
Meet the Toronto photographer behind Uganda’s ‘Cameras for Girls’ initiative
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29,488
donations to date
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47
girls taught in person
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85
girls taught through our online platform
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65%
students who found jobs with their new skills
Our Impact
Changing lives by teaching a craft.
Any photographer will tell you that a trained eye and innate skill supersedes whatever equipment you use. Our students prove this. The growth produced by our workshops is impressive. The students we work with generate images that rival any well-funded beginner, one with access to more technical, modern equipment.
Consider Joanita, a journalist in Uganda, who was a student when she took our training in 2018. Just three days of training with us led to a first job offer when an editor saw how well Joanita could pair original images with her stories.
We have taught 47 young women in Uganda and 10 in South Africa. We are proud that 60% of our female students now have full-time jobs in journalism and communications, and some even work as freelance photographers.
Help us change the trajectory of a young woman’s life by donating today.
Testimonials
“When I signed up for the photography training I knew very little about camera work, however with the help of Amina at Cameras for Girls my camera skills have improved. Despite trying to make ends meet, I will always use the opportunity that Amina gave to me to use my camera as an opportunity for me to survive.”
- Joy Aliba, former student (2019)
"For so long I wanted to learn how to use the camera, but I had limited opportunities. I’m very thankful for the Cameras For Girls training because I got an opportunity to learn. I believe I am ready to practice and get better at this. I’m so thankful to have been a part of this very beautiful opportunity."
— Annet Namusisi, former student (2018)
"One of my articles was published this week. My editor appreciated what you did for me because I was about to lose my job and the fact that I can now own a camera, I was put on payroll, and I’m going to start being paid in September because I’ve not been getting my salary ever since I started working in June. I’ll forever live to be
grateful for what you did for me.”
— Joanita Nakatte, journalist & former student (2018)
Our Program
Phase 1
Photography Training
Students go through a 4-day intensive photography workshop.
They spend their 4th day on a field exercise to take photos for a partner NGO and to build their portfolio.
Phase 2
Ongoing Training
Students continue building their photography skills through virtual photography training held via Zoom, access to an online video training library, weekly editing classes, monthly assignments, a film-making camp to develop video skills, and digital marketing training.
Phase 3
Finding a Job
Having graduated from photography training, students receive support with resume-writing and other job-related training.
Phase 4
Mentorship
Students can choose to continue developing their photography, journalism, and business skills through mentorship opportunities.
Donate today to support our programming and empower more girls in Africa with these valuable skills!
Our Partners
Makerere University
Youth Arts Movement Uganda
Brian’s Camera Shop
