Our Mission
Cameras For Girls pursues Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Africa using photography as our catalyst. We provide women who face gender-based barriers to employment with a camera to keep and a 4-phase photography, storytelling, and business-skills curriculum to support their goals of becoming paid journalists and photographers in male-dominated spaces.
Needs We Address
Poverty gender equality women's empowerment job creation in Africa for women lack of adequate training low access to tools like a camera for job access
Website
Phone
Office
Po Box 163
Manilla, ON K0M2J0
Canada
DBA
Registered Country
Canada
Country Registration Number
715593075RR0001
Name
Amina Mohamed
Phone
+1 4166975443
Title
Founder & Executive Director
amina@camerasforgirls.org
Countries We Work In
About the communities we work in
We work with university partners in our host countries to recruit young women who want to enter the male-dominated media industries. In many African countries, women graduate from journalism programs but lack practical skills and equipment like cameras, which are crucial for securing paid media jobs. Male-
dominated media houses often use this gap to silence women's voices, perpetuating gender inequality. CFG addresses this by equipping women with the tools and skills to claim their rightful space in the media industry, fostering gender equality
and amplifying diverse voices.
Our Mission
Cameras For Girls pursues Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Africa using photography as our catalyst. We provide women who face gender-based barriers to employment with a camera to keep and a 4-phase photography, storytelling, and business-skills curriculum to support their goals of becoming paid journalists and photographers in male-dominated spaces.
Website
DBA
Needs We Address
Poverty gender equality women's empowerment job creation in Africa for women lack of adequate training low access to tools like a camera for job access
Phone
Registered Country
Canada
Country Registration Number
715593075RR0001
Office
Po Box 163
Manilla, ON K0M2J0
Canada
Name
Amina Mohamed
Phone
+1 4166975443
Title
Founder & Executive Director
amina@camerasforgirls.org
Countries We Work In
About the communities we work in
We work with university partners in our host countries to recruit young women who want to enter the male-dominated media industries. In many African countries, women graduate from journalism programs but lack practical skills and equipment like cameras, which are crucial for securing paid media jobs. Male- dominated media houses often use this gap to silence women's voices, perpetuating gender inequality. CFG addresses this by equipping women with the tools and skills to claim their rightful space in the media industry, fostering gender equality and amplifying diverse voices.
Mission
Cameras For Girls pursues Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Africa using photography as our catalyst. We provide women who face gender-based barriers to employment with a camera to keep and a 4-phase photography, storytelling, and business-skills curriculum to support their goals of becoming paid journalists and photographers in male-dominated spaces.
Vision
At Cameras For Girls, we envision a future where every girl and woman, regardless of background, has the tools and opportunities to explore her creativity through photography. Our unwavering commitment to gender equality is ingrained in our core, propelling us towards a world where empowerment isn't just a mission—it's the transformative force that dismantles barriers, unlocks potential, and fosters a society where equal rights and opportunities are the bedrock of progress. We believe that by empowering young women with the art of photography, we are catalyzing a ripple effect that transcends poverty and paves the way for a more inclusive and just world.
Short-term Goals
Grow our social media presence on all platforms.
• Grow our monthly donors by doubling or tripling the number we have now, which is 7 monthly donors.
• Increase revenue by 40%, which is modest due to the uncertain economic times.
• Roll out the “Train the Trainer” program in Uganda – June, 2024.
• Increase access to women and girls on our online platform via different collaborators.
• Increase our sponsorships and partnerships across Africa.
• Start our application to be registered in Africa as a nonprofit so we can attract
corporate and foundation grants.
• Hire part-time marketing and fundraising staff, as well as the ED, to earn a modest salary.
Long-term Goals
Build our programming in Kenya – 2025, Ghana- -2026, Nigeria - 2027, South Africa - 2028.
• Have an established brand that sponsors want to get behind.
• We have a rolling “training program” in Uganda and an established one in Tanzania, working with photographers and other trainers worldwide.
• Have a staff in Canada and Africa that can balance the organization's needs.
• Have a stable and reliable source of photographers to teach us in each country.
• Be fully established in Uganda, so our ED can step away to focus her efforts on other countries and then bring on other photographers to take over – hopefully photographers from those communities.
Value Statement
The stated values of Cameras For Girls are Alleviation of Poverty, Gender Equality, Women's Empowerment, Collaboration, Enrichment, and Caring.
These values have been identified as
critical factors in the long-term success of CFG program graduates and volunteers. We believe that these values are present in everyone affiliated with CFG and are the foundation for our
philosophy, culture, and practices.
Alleviation of Poverty: Education is the single most important key to development and poverty alleviation. The education of females gives them the freedom to make decisions to improve their lives, which has profound social implications. According to the World Bank, giving girls access to schooling is a central part of eradicating global poverty. Better-educated women tend to be healthier, participate more in formal labour markets, have fewer children, and marry later.
Gender Equality: We seek to level the playing field in a male-dominated profession by advocating for women's rights.
Collaboration: We believe in working with others and achieving what may not be possible alone.
We aspire to bring a collaborative spirit and strategy to all that we do, learning from the insights and leadership of others and sharing openly what others may be able to learn from us.
Enrichment: providing opportunities for girls and women to learn visual storytelling, allowing for self-expression and self-reflection, promoting creativity and fostering intellectual, technical
and business development while working towards their career goals within journalism.
Caring: Serving the undervalued female population, providing skills that will enable them to provide for themselves and their families.
Capacity Building: We seek to build capacity for girls and women and empower them to use their voices.
Elevator Speech
Cameras For Girls uses photography as the catalyst for gender equality in Africa. Our approach is simple and powerful: We equip women with cameras to keep and train them in photography, storytelling, and business skills.
The result: Our graduates are breaking gender barriers and pursuing careers as journalists and photographers in what has been male-dominated spaces.
Our students don't just learn to capture the world—they seize it with newfound confidence. Our program opens new career options for African women, helps reduce gender inequality, and combats poverty.
Amina Mohamed Founder/Executive Director since 2018 amina@camerasforgirls.org +1 416-697-5443 LinkedIn Profile
Debbie Singh Board Chair since 2018 debbiesingh@yahoo.com LinkedIn Profile Active Monthly
Cristina Sacco Board Member since 2018 cristina@boygirlphotography.ca LinkedIn Profile Active Monthly
Kelsie McKay Board Member since 2018 kelsie.mckay@georgiancollege.ca LinkedIn Profile Active Monthly
Kemi Saliu Board Member since 2018 kemi.saliu@gmail.com LinkedIn Profile Active Quarterly
Salim Fakirani Board Member since 2018 sfakirani@rogers.com LinkedIn Profile Active Quarterly
Adrian Wilczek Board Member since 2018 adrian.wilczek@outlook.com LinkedIn Profile Active Quarterly
Total Volunteers
3
Website
Yearly Volunteer Hours
90
Written Plan
Structured Program
Yes
Waiver
Nonprofits
None
Community Groups, Coalitions, Collaboratives
None
Corporations
None
Strengths
Strong mission and vision • Uniquely positioned to provide professional business and technical photography skills to girls and women across Africa. • Combined 20+ years of experience among staff and skilled volunteers • Continued training is available from online resources through Zoom, other collaborators, and our purpose-built video training platform. • Support from the global photography community. • All digital platforms (web, social, email, video) not fully optimized • Have charity status as of Sept 25, 2021
N/A
Weaknesses
Issues with acquiring more funding, especially government funding in Canada, due to the structure of our organization. • We don't have a large enough online presence, although it is steadily growing. • Consistently understaffed (one-woman show!) • Small donor base. • Volunteers that come and go.
N/A
Opportunities
Train the Trainer program launching June 2024 + Expansion to Kenya + 2 regular programs in Uganda and Tanzania to run concurrently
N/A
Threats / Challenges
THREATS:
Larger charitable organizations with more significant social presence attract more
donations.
• Financial capacity of donors in difficult economic times.
• Hesitation from acquiring new donors while the economy slowly bounces back from the
global pandemic.
• Growing too quickly, which will hinder our overall growth.
OPPORTUNITIES (NOT CHALLENGES):
Build a robust online presence AFTER reviewing a thorough branding & messaging exercise.
• Build greater support from donors & other organizations as well as corporate donors.
• Acquire foundational & corporate grants.
• Registering in Africa first will give us a greater presence on the continent while
attracting donors.
• Expand programs to additional countries, which will support our growth.
• Building out our "train the trainer" program will allow us to sustain and grow the charity while allowing Amina to focus on the organization's growth.
• Expansion of our “gender policy” as a means to reach across the aisle and work
with people who we might not have considered as potential partners.
Mission
Cameras For Girls pursues Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality in Africa using photography as our catalyst. We provide women who face gender-based barriers to employment with a camera to keep and a 4-phase photography, storytelling, and business-skills curriculum to support their goals of becoming paid journalists and photographers in male-dominated spaces.
Vision
At Cameras For Girls, we envision a future where every girl and woman, regardless of background, has the tools and opportunities to explore her creativity through photography. Our unwavering commitment to gender equality is ingrained in our core, propelling us towards a world where empowerment isn't just a mission—it's the transformative force that dismantles barriers, unlocks potential, and fosters a society where equal rights and opportunities are the bedrock of progress. We believe that by empowering young women with the art of photography, we are catalyzing a ripple effect that transcends poverty and paves the way for a more inclusive and just world.
Value Statement
The stated values of Cameras For Girls are Alleviation of Poverty, Gender Equality, Women's Empowerment, Collaboration, Enrichment, and Caring. These values have been identified as critical factors in the long-term success of CFG program graduates and volunteers. We believe that these values are present in everyone affiliated with CFG and are the foundation for our philosophy, culture, and practices. Alleviation of Poverty: Education is the single most important key to development and poverty alleviation. The education of females gives them the freedom to make decisions to improve their lives, which has profound social implications. According to the World Bank, giving girls access to schooling is a central part of eradicating global poverty. Better-educated women tend to be healthier, participate more in formal labour markets, have fewer children, and marry later. Gender Equality: We seek to level the playing field in a male-dominated profession by advocating for women's rights. Collaboration: We believe in working with others and achieving what may not be possible alone. We aspire to bring a collaborative spirit and strategy to all that we do, learning from the insights and leadership of others and sharing openly what others may be able to learn from us. Enrichment: providing opportunities for girls and women to learn visual storytelling, allowing for self-expression and self-reflection, promoting creativity and fostering intellectual, technical and business development while working towards their career goals within journalism. Caring: Serving the undervalued female population, providing skills that will enable them to provide for themselves and their families. Capacity Building: We seek to build capacity for girls and women and empower them to use their voices.
Short-term Goals
Grow our social media presence on all platforms. • Grow our monthly donors by doubling or tripling the number we have now, which is 7 monthly donors. • Increase revenue by 40%, which is modest due to the uncertain economic times. • Roll out the “Train the Trainer” program in Uganda – June, 2024. • Increase access to women and girls on our online platform via different collaborators. • Increase our sponsorships and partnerships across Africa. • Start our application to be registered in Africa as a nonprofit so we can attract corporate and foundation grants. • Hire part-time marketing and fundraising staff, as well as the ED, to earn a modest salary.
Long-term Goals
Build our programming in Kenya – 2025, Ghana- -2026, Nigeria - 2027, South Africa - 2028. • Have an established brand that sponsors want to get behind. • We have a rolling “training program” in Uganda and an established one in Tanzania, working with photographers and other trainers worldwide. • Have a staff in Canada and Africa that can balance the organization's needs. • Have a stable and reliable source of photographers to teach us in each country. • Be fully established in Uganda, so our ED can step away to focus her efforts on other countries and then bring on other photographers to take over – hopefully photographers from those communities.
Elevator Speech
Cameras For Girls uses photography as the catalyst for gender equality in Africa. Our approach is simple and powerful: We equip women with cameras to keep and train them in photography, storytelling, and business skills. The result: Our graduates are breaking gender barriers and pursuing careers as journalists and photographers in what has been male-dominated spaces. Our students don't just learn to capture the world—they seize it with newfound confidence. Our program opens new career options for African women, helps reduce gender inequality, and combats poverty.
Amina Mohamed Founder/Executive Director since 2018 amina@camerasforgirls.org +1 416-697-5443
Debbie Singh Board Chair since 2018 debbiesingh@yahoo.com Active Monthly
Cristina Sacco Board Member since 2018 cristina@boygirlphotography.ca Active Monthly
Kelsie McKay Board Member since 2018 kelsie.mckay@georgiancollege.ca Active Monthly
Kemi Saliu Board Member since 2018 kemi.saliu@gmail.com Active Quarterly
Salim Fakirani Board Member since 2018 sfakirani@rogers.com Active Quarterly
Adrian Wilczek Board Member since 2018 adrian.wilczek@outlook.com Active Quarterly
Total Volunteers
3
Yearly Volunteer Hours
90
Structured Program
Yes
Website
Written Plan
Waiver
Nonprofits
None
Community Groups,
Coalitions,
Collaboratives
None
Corporations
None
Strengths
Strong mission and vision • Uniquely positioned to provide professional business and technical photography skills to girls and women across Africa. • Combined 20+ years of experience among staff and skilled volunteers • Continued training is available from online resources through Zoom, other collaborators, and our purpose-built video training platform. • Support from the global photography community. • All digital platforms (web, social, email, video) not fully optimized • Have charity status as of Sept 25, 2021
N/A
Weaknesses
Issues with acquiring more funding, especially government funding in Canada, due to the structure of our organization. • We don't have a large enough online presence, although it is steadily growing. • Consistently understaffed (one-woman show!) • Small donor base. • Volunteers that come and go.
N/A
Opportunities
Train the Trainer program launching June 2024 + Expansion to Kenya + 2 regular programs in Uganda and Tanzania to run concurrently
N/A
Threats / Challenges
THREATS: Larger charitable organizations with more significant social presence attract more donations. • Financial capacity of donors in difficult economic times. • Hesitation from acquiring new donors while the economy slowly bounces back from the global pandemic. • Growing too quickly, which will hinder our overall growth. OPPORTUNITIES (NOT CHALLENGES): Build a robust online presence AFTER reviewing a thorough branding & messaging exercise. • Build greater support from donors & other organizations as well as corporate donors. • Acquire foundational & corporate grants. • Registering in Africa first will give us a greater presence on the continent while attracting donors. • Expand programs to additional countries, which will support our growth. • Building out our "train the trainer" program will allow us to sustain and grow the charity while allowing Amina to focus on the organization's growth. • Expansion of our “gender policy” as a means to reach across the aisle and work with people who we might not have considered as potential partners.
Revenue
$62,231
Expenses
$65,579
Funds Spent on Salaries
$8,216
Full-Time Employees
0
Part-Time Employees
0
1-Year Financial Goals
To surpass 2023's fundraising amount.
To raise funds for both programs and build capacity funding to hire staff and get our executive director paid a living wage.
5-Year Financial Goals
To build capacity funding, so we can have a small staff to take care of operations, fundraising, and marketing.
To build out programming in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa, and have sustainable funding sources.
To bring on more corporate sponsors, as well as foundational grants, through both family foundations and office foundations.
Top 5 Funders in Past Year
Tamara Foundation
In-Kind camera drive
online fundraiser x 2
Individual Donor - $10,000
Individual donors - collective
Top Funding Sources in Past Year
Small donations
Volunteer Program
Grants
Foundations
Fundraisers (online)
Revenue
$62,231
Expenses
$65,579
Funds Spent on Salaries
$8,216
Full-Time Employees
0
Part-Time Employees
0
1-Year Financial Goals
To surpass 2023's fundraising amount. To raise funds for both programs and build capacity funding to hire staff and get our executive director paid a living wage.
5-Year Financial Goals
To build capacity funding, so we can have a small staff to take care of operations, fundraising, and marketing. To build out programming in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa, and have sustainable funding sources. To bring on more corporate sponsors, as well as foundational grants, through both family foundations and office foundations.
Top 5 Funders in Past Year
Tamara Foundation
In-Kind camera drive
online fundraiser x 2
Individual Donor - $10,000
Individual donors - collective
Top Funding Sources in Past Year
Small donations
Volunteer Program
Grants
Foundations
Fundraisers online
Successes
During this past year at Cameras For Girls, we have had tremendous success. From our Uganda program, we have trained 64 women to date, and out of those women who have completed the year-long training, 80% have now successfully found paid work in the male-dominated media industry. A few have even started their own businesses as consultants, and one girl took it upon herself to start a photography business.
Funders
In 2023, we received $18,650 from the Tamara Family Foundation in Canada. We used those funds to kick off our first workshop in Tanzania in November 2023. We also received $15,000 from the Levante Family, from their foundation Levante Living, which will be used for our 1st Train the Trainer program, which will launch in June 2024. We also raised approximately $8,000 from our camera drive, which helped to offset the cost of the cameras we purchase for each workshop, which amounts to approximately $8,000 - $10,000 for 15 girls, depending on market cost and availability.
Challenges
We have experienced challenges in the funding space. We are challenged because we are a registered charity in Canada, but all of our work takes place in Africa. We are looking to mitigate this funding challenge by registering in Africa, which we are currently working on.
Partnerships
During the pandemic, when we could not return to our in-person workshops, we developed an online training platform. This platform has allowed us to build partnerships and collaborations with many organizations across Africa. These organizations either support women in learning photography and storytelling or are interested in our mentoring programs. For our 4-phase program, we are affiliated with the following university partners: Uganda: Makerere University Tanzania: University of Dar es Salaam Kenya: (signing MOU in June 2024) - Aga Khan University For our online learning platform, we are affiliated with the following organizations: SINA - Social Innovation Academy, Uganda Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda Awamu (UK) Uganda Press Photo Award Media Challenge Initiative
Successes
During this past year at Cameras For Girls, we have had tremendous success. From our Uganda program, we have trained 64 women to date, and out of those women who have completed the year-long training, 80% have now successfully found paid work in the male-dominated media industry. A few have even started their own businesses as consultants, and one girl took it upon herself to start a photography business.
Challenges
We have experienced challenges in the funding space. We are challenged because we are a registered charity in Canada, but all of our work takes place in Africa. We are looking to mitigate this funding challenge by registering in Africa, which we are currently working on.
Partnerships
During the pandemic, when we could not return to our in-person workshops, we developed an online training platform. This platform has allowed us to build partnerships and collaborations with many organizations across Africa. These organizations either support women in learning photography and storytelling or are interested in our mentoring programs. For our 4-phase program, we are affiliated with the following university partners: Uganda: Makerere University Tanzania: University of Dar es Salaam Kenya: (signing MOU in June 2024) - Aga Khan University For our online learning platform, we are affiliated with the following organizations: SINA - Social Innovation Academy, Uganda Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda Awamu (UK) Uganda Press Photo Award Media Challenge Initiative
Funders
In 2023, we received $18,650 from the Tamara Family Foundation in Canada. We used those funds to kick off our first workshop in Tanzania in November 2023. We also received $15,000 from the Levante Family, from their foundation Levante Living, which will be used for our 1st Train the Trainer program, which will launch in June 2024. We also raised approximately $8,000 from our camera drive, which helped to offset the cost of the cameras we purchase for each workshop, which amounts to approximately $8,000 - $10,000 for 15 girls, depending on market cost and availability.
Train the Trainer Program
Project Starts: 06/05/24
Project Ends: 12/31/24
Cost
$33000
Description
Starting June 2024, Cameras For Girls will launch a transformative initiative to empower five female graduates from our existing year-long program. Over six months of comprehensive training, supported by upgraded camera kits like the Canon EOS 6D, they will refine their technical photography and storytelling skills, cultivate confidence, and develop leadership abilities.
In Uganda's male-dominated media industry, challenges like harassment and low job retention will be met with mentorship and a hybrid curriculum.
Each trainee will receive one-on-one support, navigate challenges, and foster growth. Post-program in January 2025, they will become proficient media professionals and paid trainers for Cameras For Girls, mentoring cohorts of 15 young women each. We will ensure sustainability within our programs through compensation and partnerships and expand our impact from 15 women per year trained with Cameras For Girls to 75 women. Together, we will pave the way for gender parity and opportunity.
Expanded Flagship Program (2025)
Project Starts: 04/01/25
Project Ends: 04/02/26
Cost
$35500
Partner(s)
Description
Our mission at Cameras For Girls is to enable girls and women to achieve their career aspirations and independence.
Young women across Africa encounter numerous barriers on their path to career success, ranging from limited opportunities to cultural biases, systemic harassment, and gender discrimination.
Cameras For Girls prepares African women to surmount these challenges and enter paid jobs in media. Our year-long program equips our students with a camera to keep and skills in photography, storytelling, and business.
While our primary focus is on young women who want to become journalists, we also nurture talent in photography, communications, and related fields that have traditionally been male-dominated.
Collaboration
Endorsements
