FAO Conference The Forty-first Session of McDougall Memorial Lecture, 22-29 June 2019, Rome In Honour of Frank L. McDougall Delivered by Graça Machel, Chair of the Board of the Graça Machel Trust Thank you for the honour to address you this morning! I am not a diplomat, so I must provide a disclaimer at the outset
 There is an emerging narrative that seems to emphasize that childrenâs rights must not be presented as exclusive but should also come with responsibilities for the children. While this school of thought is reasonable, there is a need to draw our attention to the fact that, the African continent is not even halfway towards
Congratulations on your TAMWA Board Appointment Leah Mushi Graca Machel Trust Leah Mushi- WIMN The Graça Machel Trust is so pleased and would like to congratulate one of its Women in Media Network members from Tanzania, Leah Mushi, for being elected as board member of the Tanzania Womenâs Media Association (TAMWA). Leah, who
Gender Lens Investment Naming Event  On 21st May 2019, The Graça Machel Trustâs Gender Lens Investment (GMT-GLI) team organised an event that aimed at coming up with a name for the fund. It was really exciting to see influential women from the Trustâs networks around Kenya come together to celebrate and name
 Network building is a process and does not lend itself to quick results. Network building is an important area of our work as we believe in the power of the collective. In this piece we share a little on the Graça Machel Trustâs Women Economic and Social Advancement programme and how it has prioritized
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs 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 Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ 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 Trustâs 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 motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.