My name is Amina Mohamed and I founded Cameras For Girls, which is a Canada-based charity and Uganda-registered nonprofit. Cameras For Girls trains young women across Africa with photography, ethical storytelling, and business skills so they can access paid work in male-dominated media spaces.
About me
I came to Canada as a refugee from Uganda and spent 15 years working in film and television before founding Cameras For Girls. I understand both the creative industry and the systemic barriers women face. Now is the right moment because global storytelling is shifting, local voices matter more than ever, and there is a growing recognition that ethical, locally led media is essential – not optional.
I received my first camera at age ten, and it gave me a voice when words didn’t. Years later, watching talented young women graduate with degrees but no access to tools or paid opportunities made it clear: this wasn’t a talent gap, it was an access gap. Cameras For Girls was born from that realization.
My Purpose
At Cameras For Girls, we work with young women, primarily graduates of journalism and communications programs across Africa, who are educated but under-resourced. Before working with us, many have theory but no tools, limited networks, and little access to paid opportunities in industries that are still deeply gendered. We recruit through partner universities in each country, who are primarily theory focused, so we can fit the gap with our practical training.
What makes Cameras For Girls different
Unlike other programs, Cameras For Girls doesn’t don’t focus on exposure alone—we focus on job creation. Our work is grounded in dignity-first, ethical storytelling and long-term economic outcomes. We build locally led programs, invest in trainers from within our cohorts, and design everything with sustainability and care at the centre.
Cameras For Girls exists because talent alone is not enough when systems are stacked against you. I care deeply about who gets to tell stories, who gets paid to tell them, and whose voices are missing from public narratives. My goal is to shift power, access, and opportunity so women are not only visible in media, but economically secure, respected, and able to shape narratives from within their own communities.
To do that, Cameras For Girls provides a year-long, skills-based program that combines photography training, ethical storytelling, business skills, mentorship, and a camera they keep. The result is confidence, credibility, and concrete pathways to paid work. Over 80% of our graduates move into employment, freelance income, or media-adjacent roles.
What’s your win!
For Cameras For Girls, in addition to our great employment results, seeing former students now working as journalists, photographers, communications officers, and training other women themselves has been the most meaningful milestone.
What I wish more founders knew about pitching
When I worked with Brenda, she really helped me to bring clarity to pitching and to understand that pitching is not about impressing, it’s about helping someone understand what you do and why you do it.
To be effective, pitches must be clear, honest, and rooted in lived experience, not jargon or inflated promises.
Be specific about the problem you’re solving, realistic about what it takes to solve it, and confident enough to name your constraints. The right partners aren’t looking for perfection; they’re looking for clarity, credibility, and trust.
To find out more
- Website: https://www.camerasforgirls.org
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aminamohamedphotography
- Email: amina@camerasforgirls.org