Our 4-Phase Program
Programming that leads to job creation and the alleviation of poverty.
The Reason For Our 4-Phase Program
Girls and women across Africa encounter numerous barriers on their path to achieving their career aspirations, ranging from limited opportunities to cultural biases, systemic harassment, and gender discrimination.
At Cameras For Girls, our mission is to address these challenges by empowering African women to capture their stories and secure paid employment. Through our year-long program, we equip our students with a camera to keep and offer a comprehensive four-phase training combining photography, storytelling, and business skills. This empowers them to amplify their voices and visually document their narratives.
While our primary focus is on young women aspiring to become journalists, our program also nurtures talent in photography, communications, and related fields in male-dominated spaces. We take pride in our achievements, having successfully trained 64 girls in Uganda through our year-long program.
An impressive 75% of our graduates have secured full-time paid positions in journalism, communications, and photography-related careers.
Furthermore, we are excited to have recently launched in Tanzania and have plans to expand across Africa every year, targeting regions where the need for our intervention is most critical. Through our commitment to gender equality, poverty alleviation, and job creation, we aim to make a meaningful impact in the lives of girls and women across the continent.
Our Program Partners
Our students are recruited from the Journalism and Communications program through University partners across Africa.
Read more about our 4-phase program below.
Our students learn to tell stories during the practical session on the 4th day of the workshop.
Phase 1
Our year-long program kicks off with a 4-day workshop in the host country. Each student receives a camera to keep and is taught how to use it while learning about camera operation, photography techniques, and storytelling.
On the 4th day, the students get field experience capturing stories with their cameras through one of our partner NGOs. In return, the NGO receives the edited images and stories from that day for their marketing needs.
Phase 2
After the workshop, the training continues online. The students undergo a complete training curriculum, combining photography and ethical storytelling methodology. They receive the following:
Access to a purpose-built video training platform, where they can access the videos 24-7 at their convenience.
Weekly Zoom meetings to discuss the photography training while providing feedback on their photos.
Bi-weekly photo review and monthly assignments to push their skills forward.
Training in digital marketing skills.
Access to the editing lab in the host country to learn Photoshop and Lightroom.
Amina reviewing students photography during workshop in Uganda.
Click below to view more photos from our various workshops in Uganda and Tanzania.
Amina receiving a hug from graduating student Lucy in Kampala, Uganda
Phase 3
We move into business skills training in Phase 3. In this phase it’s all about finding a job. The girls receive assistance with their resumes, and building an effective LinkedIn profile. They also learn how to network effectively to build their presence online, so they can have better opportunities to find a well-paying job.
For those interested in starting their own business, we cover business planning and how to save money for a rainy day, thereby increasing their independence and autonomy.
Phase 4
At this pivotal stage in our program, mentoring becomes the secret ingredient to success. Our girls, equipped with refined skills, yearn to secure meaningful employment—the reason they embarked on this journey with Cameras For Girls. Yet, the challenges they face in the job market are real.
Our mentors play a crucial role in bridging this gap. With individualized support and guidance, they empower our girls to navigate the complexities of the professional world with confidence. Together, we pave the way for their success, turning dreams into reality one mentorship at a time.
Amina setting up the camera with Hafitha during a photography workshop in Uganda
