The Graça Machel Trust, (GMT), the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, (NMCF) and the Foundation for Community Development (FDC) are greatly concerned about the unfolding effects of Cyclone Idai across parts of Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The increasing death toll and numbers of women and children uncounted for is extremely worrisome. The devastation has left communities homeless, unsafe, without food, emergency healthcare and other essential services.
This magnitude of the disaster is immense for the three affected countries to handle alone. In situations where natural disasters adversely impact on human life, the vulnerability of children and women is heightened most. So far, the cyclone has claimed thousands of lives in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and over 7,000,000 people have been directly affected in the whole region. We therefore jointly rally behind an intensified call to action to save lives and meet the immediate needs of affected communities!
Under the leadership of Mrs. Graça Machel, GMT, NMCF and FDC have joined forces to mobilize resources to contribute to the emergency relief effort as well as the rebuilding of the lives of children, women, communities that have been devastated by Cyclone Idai. We make a special appeal to the local, regional and international partners to contribute to our efforts in cash or in kind.
Donations can be done through the following channels:
Account Name: Graca Machel Trust
Bank Address: Standard Bank Place, 1st Floor, Corner 10th & Rivonia Road,
Johannesburg 2128, South Africa.
Account Number: 223662542
Swift Code: SBZA ZA JJ
Branch Code: 051001
OR
Account Name: FDC Cyclone Idai
Standard Bank- MZN (Local Currency Account): 1184233071088
NIB: 000301180423307108821
Swift Code: SBICMZMX
Account Name: FDC Cyclone Idai
Standard Bank – USD: 1184233071096
NIB: 000301180423307109694
Swift Code: SBICMZMX
For further information on how you can help, please contact the following.
Hernani Sevene
Foundation for Community Development
Phone: + 258 84 301 3199
E-mail: hsevene@fdc.org.mz
Richard Montsho
Graça Machel Trust
Phone: +27 83 340 8976
E-mail: RichardM@gracamacheltrust.org
Eunice Motsepa
Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund
Phone: + 27 (0)11 274 5600
E-mail: eunice@nmcf.co.za
To arrange for drop please contact:
Gwadamirai Majange
Graça Machel Trust
Phone: +27 66 486 5178
E-mail: GwadamiraiM@gracamacheltrust.org
Drop Off Address
Nelson Mandela Foundation
107 Central St, Houghton Estate
Johannesburg, 2198
South Africa.
About the Partners
The Graça Machel Trust (GMT) is a Pan-African organization which advocates for the rights and dignity of women and children; focused on child health and nutrition, education–especially girls’ education, women’s economic and leadership advancement, as well as good governance
The FDC is a civil organization with no party affiliation, which aims to bring together forces from all sectors of society to achieve an ideal of development, democracy and social justice. FDC aims to empower communities to overcome poverty and advocate for social justice, and it targets women, the youth and children as primary subjects of change and development.
The vision of Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (the Fund) is to change the way society treats its children and the youth with the following focus areas: Child Survival and Development, Child Safety and Protection, and Youth Leadership.
Kindly note that the list of the required priority list and services is attached to this statement as Annexure One.
We thank you in advance for your donation and support!
Annexure One: List of priority items for the affected communities
- Dignity packs for women and girls (sanitary pads, toothpaste & toothbrushes)
- Children’s Diapers
- Children’s Toys and books
- Blankets
- Clothing
- Food stuffs; non-perishable
- Detergents
- Mosquito nets
- Family tents
- Kitchen utensils
- Water tanks
- Chlorine
- Mobile toilets
- Reconstruction materials (cement, zinc sheets, iron bars, wood, nails masons kits, carpentry kits, etc)
List of Services for Affected Communities
- Psycho social Support for Children
- Trauma counselling for affected
- Non – Formal Education interventions
- Child Friendly corners and spaces
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.