Andia Chakava, the Trust’s Investment Director and Chairperson of New Faces New Voices Kenya Chapter, Women in Finance for the GraƧa Machel Trust successfully convened and led the I AM 2.0 Initiative.
The initiative seeks to build on the successes and lessons of the I AM 1.0 campaign to further generate innovative solutions in response to challenges related to sexual and reproductive health, sexuality education, family planning, maternal health and other population development issues in line with UNFPA’s mandate. Read Moreā¦
Through a series of online campaigns, the I AM Initiative has been looking for businesses that are active in Sexual Reproductive Health to come forward with their proposals on solutions that can help innovate Sexual Reproductive Health, how to help women deal with fertility issues in less arbitrary ways and also how to reduce child marriages. Read moreā¦
Ms. Chakava said the initiative encourages a conversation around Sexual Reproductive Health and hopes to develop open minded thinking that surround the issue. She added that even though sexual reproductive health issues affect both men and women, women entrepreneurs have been targeted based on the Growth-Barriers Affecting women in East Africa which showed that womenās entrepreneurship development was barred due to lack access to markets and financing.
Dr. Shungu Gwarinda, Acting CEO of the GraƧa Machel Trust commended the ingenuity of this initiative and the milestone it has reached in driving the promotion of Maternal Health focusing on family planning for the adolescent girl and young women. She said āthis aligns to the Trustās values that seeks to nurture caring societies that value social justice and protect the rights of women and children.ā
Dr. Gwarinda acknowledged the project partners Global Fund for Women, UNFPA and Nailab for their roles and contributions to the project and appreciated the partnership. Watch videoā¦
The top three finalists were selected at an event in Nairobi on 28th November 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya during a Pitch presentation where the three finalists were selected.
About the IAM 2.0 Finalists
Genesis Silmak agencies is a company focusing on production, distribution and disposal of all things sanitary pads. This they do by manufacturing of Adult diapers, Sanitary
pads, Sanitary pad dispensers and Sanitary pad incinerators- Catherine Wanjoya.
Mums Village is a vibrant online village that provides a safe space for African mothers and enables them to access and share locally relevant content and products through peer-to-peer communities. Mum’s village is focused on creating a one stop online platform, leveraging on technology, that empowers African women to make informed choices for the health and wellbeing of their families through access to information, support and products most relevant to them – Phoebe Maina.
Ari is a company that focuses on sanitary pads distribution services as well as
menstrual health education. The sanitary pads distribution is done through the ARI vending machine which is mounted at accessible locations and which dispenses single pack pads triggered through coin purchase of the sanitary pads- Munira Twahir.
Read more on our Women’s Economic Advancement Programme
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenās 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 Childrenās Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsā 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 Trustās 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 motherās health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childās life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.