C-PAGE is an acronym for CULINKE – Programme Advancing Girls’ Education-An Intervention Programme to Combat Constraints to Girls’ Education. 

 

Populations targeted by C-PAGE are those areas dramatically affected by the AIDS epidemic and where poverty incidences are high. 

 

Investment in education is part of investment in human development. Human development is the widening of people’s choices and involves the expansion of human capabilities and access to economic, social and political opportunities. It is an all-encompassing process involving the participation of all people, men and women alike and equally - in raising their quality of life. Education is one effective way of doing this. For Africa girls’ education is the most effective means by which the girls and their communities can break the devastating cycle of poverty that currently plagues sub-saharan Africa. A higher level of women’s education contributes to agricultural productivity, to the state of health and nutrition and to preventing HIV. Unfortunately Girls account for more than half of all children not in school, and the majority of the world's one billion illiterate adults are women.  CULINKE aware of this and in line with the MDG Goals 2 and 3 is investing in girls’ education as the key to the fight against poverty by implementing the CULINKE – Programme Advancing Girls’ Education (C-PAGE).

 

The purpose of this programme guided by the fact that better education like better health is a precursor to sustained growth is to increase educational opportunities for the girl-child by promoting full school participation and offering other kinds of support for girls thus reducing the possibility and risk of adolescent transactional sex for fees and livelihood now and in future by involving parents, families, and community members. 

 

CULINKE believes that girl children must receive adequate food, health care, and education, and must be given every opportunity to develop their capacities. If sustainable development and livelihoods are to be realised in the world, then girls, now mothers as first educators of the next generation must be empowered to make meaningful contributions to the creation of a just world characterised by harmony, acceptance and a healthy self-esteem. Education is the lifelong nurturing programme that can foster this kind of leadership into women.

 

Priority activity: - working with and learning from partners, develop a best practice model for inculcating self-esteem in the girl-child through a holistic educational program cognizance of the fact that education cuts across all sectors of development from confidence building, to career choice and career-pathing, to motherhood to civic responsibility.

 

 

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