23 October, 2018
On October 27, Mrs Graça Machel will be honoured for her contribution towards the health and wellbeing of children by the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. The honour will see Mrs Machel getting her place in the Ambassador David M. Walters International Paediatric Hall of Fame.
This is her third honour this year, following the World Health Organisation Gold Medal, received for her contribution towards children’s health, and the 2018 World Prize for Integrated Development for her significant social justice achievements and leadership of the Graça Machel Trust.
In recommending Mrs Machel for this honour, Mr Ravneer Chowdhury (chair of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation) said they were drawn to Mrs Machel for her lifelong dedication to the wellbeing of children and their health from her time as Minister of Education and Culture in Mozambique, to when she was the first lady of South Africa as well as her continued advocacy work on a global scale.
Mrs Machel, who is inspired by her love for children says;
“It is the responsibility of this generation that every child everywhere regardless of gender, social status, be nurtured, supported, and provided with the conditions that allow them to blossom and achieve their fullest potential.”
Some key notable figures who have also received this award include Barbra Bush, former first lady of the United States, singer and actress Beyoncé Knowles, Dr. Fred J. Epstein, globally renowned paediatric neurosurgeon, and Walt Disney – an international legend in children’s entertainment, who are remarkable champions for children’s well-being
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with nearly 800 attending physicians and more than 475 paediatric subspecialists. The 289-bed hospital, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of paediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital is also home to the largest program in the south-eastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Centre Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honour.
ENDS
For more information, questions, and queries contact:
Graça Machel Trust Communications Unit
Gwadamirai Majange: gwadmiraim@gracamacheltrust.org
Sarah Mpata: Sarahm@gracamacheltrust.org
Website: www.gracamacheltrust.org
Telephone: +27 (0) 11 325 0501/91
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.