On the 1st of December, on the margins of the Global Citizen week which honored the legacy of Nelson Mandela, The Motsepe foundation hosted a Sustainable Development Breakfast Panel discussion themed Achieve equality by ending all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
Professor Thuli Madonsela, Mrs. Graça Machel and Dr. Dlamini Zuma delivering a message on how to navigate and deliver gender equality
Mrs. Graça Machel joined Professor Thuli Madonsela and Dr. Dlamini Zuma on a panel to discuss how to navigate and deliver the SDG5 for Gender Equality. Contributing to the discussion, Mrs. Machel said “thinking about the unity of a human being is how we need to implement the eradication of issues we face, saying that humans do not operate in separate segments.”
Professor Thuli Madonsela added to the discussion that the way to go about raising awareness against gender-based violence is raising a community which believes in the humanity of everyone with both men and women included in the projects.
In her contribution, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma emphasized that policies should be tailored and planned for women in order to create inclusivity.
Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, added that we need to put policies that empower women and don’t discriminate against gender as we commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based violence.
Read more on our Women’s Economic and Social 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 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.