FT Camfed appeal: an education in itself

The FT's seasonal appeal on behalf of Camfed International, which supports the education of poor African girls, has raised the grand total of £1,638,963.

I would like to thank readers who have given so generously to the appeal, which has raised enough to put 5,463 girls through secondary education - potentially transforming their lives and those of their families. In addition, thanks to readers' donations, Camfed is going to extend its work this year to a fifth African country, Malawi. It already operates in Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This year's appeal has been greatly aided by some extremely generous contributions by foundations and individuals. The Sofronie Foundation and the Skoll Foundation formed a funding partnership that matched reader donations up to a total of £375,000.

The Hunter Foundation, founded by Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish entrepreneur, similarly gave a £100,000 matching contribution, as did Peter Sherratt, a vice-chairman of Lehman Brothers and deputy chairman of the Camfed board. And another £100,000 was donated by Asif Aziz, the property owner whose interests include the Trocadero centre in Leicester Square, London.

Ann Cotton, the charity's founder and executive director, says: "In the past, the voices of rural girls in Africa have been barely audible. But they have spoken through the pages of the Financial Times these past two months with passion and confidence to a global readership that has listened and responded. The cycle of poverty, passed from poor mother to poor child, will be ended in the lives of 5,400 girls and the benefits will resonate down the generations. This is a magnificent legacy and all of us at Camfed are deeply grateful."

For anyone who has missed it, our Camfed coverage can still be found on our website at www.ft.com/appeal. Again, thank you for your support.