“Honey it’s time for school!” Recognised as a human right, all children should share the experience of going to school each day, but that is unfortunately not the case for 250 million children worldwide. That’s 1 out of 10 children globally who are denied their right to education. Worse yet, on the African continent, 1 in 5 children are unable to attend school (UNESCO, 2023). Still worse, in Cameroon, girls are more commonly denied access to education than boys. This gender inequality in education has cruel consequences for these girls’ future, with Cameroonian women experiencing higher rates of poverty and unemployment than men (OCHA, 2019). 

To support a brighter future for young girls, WECF’s partner, Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch (CAMGEW) is fostering entrepreneurial skills amongst women and promoting the value of educating young girls. In only three years, CAMGEW has already worked with 4350 women who are now all able to prioritise their daughters’ education! 

Cultural and Social Norms

• Gender bias – Preference for educating boys over girls due to traditional beliefs.
• Domestic roles – Girls have to manage household chores, limiting their study time.
• Early marriage – Girls are often married off young, cutting their education short.

Economic Barriers

• Opportunity cost – Educating girls is considered less economically beneficial than boys due to girls having to leave the family once married. 
• Poverty – Women’s lack of income prevents them from affording education for their daughters.

Hygiene Barriers

• Menstrual stigma –  A lack of sanitary products leads to girls missing school when menstruating to avoid staining their uniforms/embarrassment.
• Poor sanitation – A lack of clean/private toilets at school further discourages girls’ school attendance while menstruating. 

Educational role models

• Lack of women teachers – In rural schools, most teachers are men, leaving girls without academic role models.

Government support

• Weak law enforcement – Laws against child marriage and those for compulsory education are oftentimes not upheld.

CAMGEW is an NGO that advocates for a society free from poverty, gender inequality and unsustainable environmental practices. In striving to reach such a  society, CAMGEW has invested a lot of effort into promoting a more just gender balance in schools by encouraging more investment in girls’ education. Since limited financial resources are a major barrier to girls being educated, CAMGEW has worked with unemployed mothers and women-headed households to involve them in forest regeneration and agroforestry. These conservation activities are necessary to sustain eco-businesses that help improve women’s livelihoods. 

In only three years, CAMGEW has worked with 4350 women in the West and Adamawa regions of Cameroon. Amongst the women, honey production has become the most popular income generating activity with the women earning enough to cover their living costs with money spare. More money meant for more opportunities, not only for the women, but potentially their daughters too. CAMGEW’s Forest and Women Empowerment Officer, Sevidzem Ernestine Leikeki, visited the women regularly to talk about prioritising education for their sons and daughters, with considerations of preparing their daughters to possibly take over their eco-businesses and leadership roles in the future. 

Eager for their daughters to have bright futures, many of the women involved in CAMGEW activities have since enrolled their girls in school. In 2025 alone, 50 girls who were previously not in school, were enrolled across 10 different schools. With limited space for more students, Sevidzem Ernestine and her husband personally built a new school. In its first weeks, the Change Drivers Bilingual Nursery and Primary School Ngounso-Magba welcomed another 70 girls who were previously not in school. A beacon of hope, this school carries an inspiring message for education and upliftment of both girls and boys. 

“We noticed women from CAMGEW projects are making remarkable efforts towards the education of their girls in terms of tuition and books.”

– Head teacher of Change Drivers Bilingual Nuresery and Primary School Ngounso-Magba, Wirnkar Goodness. 

Teacher training workshop, showcasing the environmental education guides. Photo credit: Sevidem Ernestine Leikeki

“This project equipped us with necessary skills and a guide to mainstream environmental education in our school system. We also understand how we can promote girl education and engage boys in promotion of girls’ right to education as well.”

– Head teacher of Change Drivers Bilingual Nursery and Primary School Ngounso-Magba, Wirnkar Goodness.

Learners being taught sustainable environmental practices. Photo credit: Sevidem Ernestine Leikeki

As of July 2025, every school has developed school gardens for the children’s environmental education – planting and tending to Indigenous trees and plant species. Most excitingly, 10 learners from each school were granted the opportunity to participate in a competition awarding scholarship support for books and school uniforms. Learners had to create submissions in the form of a song, drama or poem that shared messages of environmental protection and education for young girls. 17 learners, one from each school, were ultimately chosen as winners, all of whom showed a deep appreciation for nature and education. 

Winning pupils awarded books as prizes for the competition. Photo credit: Sevidem Ernestine Leikeki

“My daughter changed. She brings home messages on protection of the environment and the importance of educating the girl child. I realised her self-confidence towards education is strong now unlike at the beginning of the school year. I feel encouraged to save towards her education. She also encouraged me to keep the surroundings of the house green because it’s healthy. I like what I am seeing now and I hope many more women should rise up and send their girls to school as well.”

– Parent, Tata Elvira.

Young girls of Ngounso-Magba, Cameroon can now envisage a future for themselves that is full of opportunity. By removing gendered barriers to education, CAMGEW has made it possible for both girls and boys to strive towards a future of their own making. That future is also looking a lot more environmentally sustainable, thanks to CAMGEW’s environmental education guide which is proving more successful than could have been hoped! Inspired by the students’ newfound appreciation for conservation, the Inspector of Basic Education is now promoting CAMGEW’s environmental guide as a national document for environmental education in the school system! Talks are ongoing with the Ministry of Basic Education for wider distribution, creating hope for an even brighter future for our girls and the environment!