Who Are We?
Centre International pour la Promotion duLeadership Féminin (CIPFEM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing the confidence, educational focus and leadership skills of young girls living in Dakar, Senegal
Why Are We Here?
“Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls and the empowerment of women. No other policy is as likely to raise economic productivity, lower infant and maternal mortality, or improve nutrition and promote health, including the prevention of HIV/AIDS. When women are fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately: families are healthier; they are better fed; their income, savings, and reinvestment go up. And what is true of families is true of communities and, eventually, whole countries.”
- Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations
“I entered the classroom with the conviction that it was crucial for me and every other student to be an active participant, not a passive consumer...education as the practice of freedom.... education that connects the will to know with the will to become. Learning is a place where paradise can be created.”
- Bell Hooks, Writer and Activist
What Do We Do?
CIPFEM hopes to create a well-rounded experience for young girls living in Dakar by providing academic support, character development and leadership training.
With the combined efforts of students enrolled in the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and local volunteers living in Dakar, CIPFEM volunteers provide tutoring sessions and recreational workshops twice a week for girls ages 5 to 16.
Concerned by the low literacy rates of Senegalese women and the high drop out rates of Senegalese girls between the ages of 9 to 14, CIPFEM aims to directly combat this issue with promoted educational focus and leadership development.
With our combined efforts and aspirations, we hope to empower this new generation of girls and prepare them to be the leaders of tomorrow.
“Our goal is to give these girls the tools to become self-confident, self-sufficient women."
- Claire Cahen, Project Coordinator for Fall Semester 2009
“I hope that CIPFEM can continue to perpetuate a system of female self-empowerment.”
- Jocelyn Price, Project Coordinator for Fall Semester 2009
Our Mentor Program
CIPFEM Co-Coordinators, Claire Cahen and Jocelyn Price, started the mentor program in Fall 2009.
This program aims to match up each CIPFEM student with an American CIEE student. Each mentor attends at least one tutoring session a week and works on schoolwork and projects with his or her mentee.
Mentors will also often meet with mentees' families to gain a better understanding of the areas and subjects most necessary for the mentee to focus on.
The Mentor Program is still in its early stages but we have seen progress and hope to improve its effectiveness through our subsequent semesters.