Reuters: New report, model of best practice for aid world

Reuters, 22 Jul 2010 11:14:00 GMT

Written by: Katherine Baldwin

LONDON (AlertNet) – At a time when donor funds are tight and accountability is high on the agenda in the aid world, a global law firm has produced a report into the workings of a female education charity that could help set a model of best practice for the sector.

The report, by law firm Linklaters, sets out the governing structures and guiding principles of the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), a charity that educates girls and empowers young women in sub-Saharan Africa.

Linklaters’ lawyers studied Camfed for two and a half years, pro bono, to document a governance model that has helped Camfed grow from a charity helping 32 girls in Zimbabwe in 1993 to an organisation that has benefited more than 1 million children in five countries.

Camfed and Linklaters say they think the report – Camfed Governance, Accounting to the Girl – will at least spark a debate and at most lead to a consensus about standards for governance in international development.

“Any organisation that’s trying to battle poverty in the developing world can benefit from studying this model,” said Lance Croffoot-Suede, a partner at Linklaters in New York who worked on the project.

For Camfed, governance is about who has influence, who makes decisions, who controls resources, and where and to whom accountability lies within the communities it serves, said the report. It is also about the relationships and structures through which communities organise themselves.

To read more, see: Reuters article on Camfed Report

To download the summary or full report, see: Camfed Governance, Accounting to the Girl