Africa’s reality is that we are currently sitting with a huge percent of the total population under the age of 40. There are many conversations happening across the continent on how we can harness this youthful population.
In response to this, The Graça Machel Trust (GMT) and the Mandela Institute of Development Studies (MINDS) have over the last 18 months engaged 27 leading networks in the youth empowerment sector to build a formal support network for the next generation of leaders.
The process has involved asking critical questions on the role youth-led networks and organisations can play in influencing the challenges that exist on the continent with specific focus on education, entrepreneurship, political participation, arts and culture as well as youth employment.
2018 is an important year because it marks Nelson Mandela’s centenary. Mandela was one of the greatest leaders of our time and thus it is befitting to build a movement that will identify, strengthen and support Africa’s youth networks to produce the next generation of leaders who will embody his values. On the 20th and 21st of July, GMT and MINDS will bring together youth leaders and change-makers from across Africa in a historic meeting of minds for the inaugural African Youth Networks Summit.
Besides connecting organisations to each other and exchanging ideas, this gathering should help to forge among the delegates consensus around a common youth-led agenda to take the continent forward.
Something to watch out for:
In the days leading up to Nelson Mandela’s birthday, GMT will take time to share stories of young people who are already making strides in transforming the continent in their own ways. We will profile stories of resilience, innovation and courage that focus on young women, whose voices are less often heard in public spaces. We will engage in inter-generational dialogues to marry the wisdom of our elders with the disruptive energy of youth to tackle difficult societal problems. We will also celebrate game changers who are creating opportunities through social enterprises that will put Africa on the map of progress. Read more here
The #MadibainYou campaign is also a celebration that each one of us contains a touch of that Madiba magic with the power to be the change we want to see.
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.