General
General news from the CGEF
In Memoriam of Lady Lois Ramphal
Our thoughts are with the Ramphal family as they say farewell to their beloved, Lady Lois Ramphal.
A long term supporter of the Commonwealth Girls Education Fund, her legacy lives on through the young women who have thrived as a result of her dedication and commitment.
She will be sorely missed and our heartfelt thanks to the Ramphal family for their continued support of the CGEF.
Meet our new Trustees
We would like to welcome our two new Trustees, Isabella Weech-Jones and Megan Simpkins, who joined the board at our September AGM.
Isabella Weech-Jones Megan Simpkins
Both women have shown passion and dedication to the mission of the CGEF and we look forward to working alongside them to continue sponsoring bright girls across the Commonwealth.
Follow the link to see our current board of Trustees: Trustees & Administrative Secretary
Duchess of Sussex champions women’s empowerment & education during tour of the Pacific.
As the royal tour of the Pacific draws to a close, it is evident that women’s’ empowerment and education was a hot topic during speeches made by the Duchess of Sussex.
A New Name, A New Look With The Same Dedication and Commitment
Welcome to the Commonwealth Girls Education Fund.
Set up as a charity in 1967 under our former name, Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund (CCLEF), we are celebrating 50 years of commitment and dedication to girls’ education throughout 2017.
With our new logo and refreshed website, we hope you are inspired by the work that we do and help us to provide the basic right of education to many more girls over the next 50 years.
CCLEF Newsletter March 2016
Dear Friends and Supporters,
As our financial year draws to a close I am delighted to report that in 2015/6 we will have sponsored 382 girls across 30 Commonwealth countries. Since the start of 2016, we have renewed a total of 69 applications for a further year in Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Swaziland, Kenya, Lesotho, St Vincent and Grenadines, Rwanda, Grenada, Ghana, Sierra Leone, St Kitts, and St Lucia.
Many of these girls have done extremely well in their previous academic year and wrote to us of their success and appreciation.
The most recent CCLEF graduate was 17 year old Angela from Uganda, an outstanding pupil completing her final year of secondary education. In her recent letter of appreciation, Angela writes;
"Thanks to your kind support during the years, I was able to sit for my Uganda Certificate of Education. I achieved a first grade (and) am just two years to achieving my dream of becoming a lawyer…may God bless you for helping me reach this level in my education.”
When Angela wrote to us previously in 2014 she asked, “I hope your fundraising event went well, did they like my bracelets?" We were able report that indeed our events have gone well and we are always thrilled to have examples of the girls’ skills to show and sell. So much of this close contact could not be achieved without the valuable support of the High Commissions in the UK, who work with us and continue to support important fund raising events such as the CCL Fair.
On a similar note, in January we were delighted to hear from Mr William M Osafo from the Ghana High Commission, who on a recent trip to Ghana had taken time to visit CCLEF girls there. He writes, “They were ecstatic to see me, and the envy of all their friends. I believe the visit will motivate them even further…the support provided by the CCLEF is contributing significantly to the realisation of their dreams.”
Here at the CCLEF we are very proud of the personal approach that allows us to really get to know the girls we sponsor and follow their progress. Many thanks to all our High Commissions, supporters and friends who help make that possible.
We have a new Patron
I am delighted to announce that the CCLEF has a new Patron. Baroness Lorely Burt of Solihull has kindly agreed to join our charity, in addition to Baroness Boothroyd, Baroness Flather and Baroness Howells.
Baroness Lorely Burt Photo Credit: Claire O'Kane
Baroness Burt has extensive parliamentary experience in women’s issues and business enterprise. We look forward to welcoming her to forthcoming events.
Commonwealth Girls Education Fund (CGEF)
The CCLEF Trustees have unanimously voted to change our name to Commonwealth Girls Education Fund (CGEF), a name which more clearly reflects the work that we do. The change will formally take place on 25th April 2016 and we have several events planned to promote our new identity, which will be circulated to all of our supporters. Our goals and values will remain the same and we do hope you will like our new look and name.
The London 10k Run - Sunday 10th July 2016
Our team of runners is gradually growing for this important and exciting fundraising event. However, we still need some more runners to achieve our goals. Like me, you may not be a super-athlete fit enough to participate in such a challenge, but if you know anyone who might support us by running, please circulate our 10k run poster to colleagues and friends. We always have a fun day and the CCLEF team spirit is second to none! For further information please contact Jagravi Upadhyay who will be delighted to give you any information you need. To view and circulate our 10k run poster, please click on the link HERE.
Your continued support is vital to our work
We are so grateful for all the practical and financial contributions we receive from our supporters. Most recently we received some wonderful donations from two sources, the Hope Project, run by the Canadian Federation of University Women; and from Clarity English in Hong Kong.
In addition we have had many individual, collective and corporate donations from far and wide, including from pupils at schools across the UK. On behalf of the girls whose education you made possible – a big “Thank you!”.
As we all approach the end of the financial year, could I ask you to check if there is any “use it or lose it” funding left in CSR and similar budgets within your circle, however large or small. We appreciate every penny and with our super low overheads, put each one to optimum use to benefit our girls.
On behalf of the Trustees and of course the Girls, my sincere thanks for your continued support & encouragement. Our work would not be possible without it.
Kind regards
Lorna Hunt
Chair of the Trustees
Commonwealth Countries League Education Fund
CCLEF meets Ghana High Commission
Penny O'Regan, 2015 CCLEF Chairperson and Judith Fisher, CCLEF Hon Treasurer met with the Ghanaian High Commission to discuss the CCLEF's sponsorships for girls' education in Ghana. During their meeting, the Ghana High Commission (HC) informed CCLEF that their government has committed to funding secondary education fees, excluding boarding fees, for every child in Ghana from September 2015.
In recent reports, the UN has stated that Ghana is making "strong progress" in education. This approach was confirmed as CCLEF heard that tertiary education is more accessible to bright students in Ghana with the availability of loans and other sources. Ghana is also appearing to be making good progress in getting women into government roles.
The HC also discussed the ongoing CCLEF contribution to girls' education in Ghana and showed that in fact, schools that have a connection with CCLEF are spread throughout Ghana and can be found from Ankara to the Eastern areas. The news of the Ghanaian government's committment to funding secondary education fees was welcomed and CCLEF reaffirmed its committment to helping girls in Ghana. CCLEF understands that the girls' personal needs extend beyond just paying the fees and the Trustees are committed to helping them with whatever their needs are.
