Wednesday, 4 September 2019- University of Cape Town,  South Africa  I stand here as a grandmother to Uyinene, a grandmother in pain, and I can see and feel in everyone of us here, there is so much pain in the air. We are all wounded, some of us are extremely angry, others are confused, others
 University of Cape Town - Cape Town, 4 September 2019  Good Morning Vice Chancellor of UCT Professor Phakeng, Alan Doss, President of the Kofi Annan Foundation, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,  It is an honor to be with you here today for this important and timely discussion on democracy in our region. Â
 Malnutrition has continued to claim the lives of many children especially in the sub- Saharan region and ripping the full potential from almost one out of three children under the age 5 years in the Africa region. When children are malnourished, their brains are not supported to grow to their full potential and hence
Real men need to have courageous conversations - that will end gender based violence  Real men where are you? Why are you quiet? Who are you waiting for, to safe our women and girls? South Africa is spinning out of control at the moment, our beloved country is making international headlines for
CAPE TOWN, 3 September 2019  The Elders today expressed their support for the National Health Insurance (NHI) reforms proposed by South Africaâs President Cyril Ramaphosa, and urged all stakeholders to act with ambition and urgency to improve publicly-funded healthcare and build social solidarity.  Graça Machel, Deputy Chair of The Elders, Gro Harlem Brundtland,
âEmpower a woman and a whole community will thrive, empowering women benefits everyone and is essential for communities to thrive. Research shows that increasing womenâs involvement leads to improved financial management and more sustainable, thriving communities,â-  Mrs Graça Machel.   We have partnered with the MasterCard Foundation and FinDev Canada to officially launch the Invest2Impact,
  15th Southern Africa Civil Society Forum, from left to right; Vitumbiko Chinoko of CARE International, Tumaini Mikindo of PANITA (representing ESA CSN) and Francis Hale of FANRPAN   It was an exciting week as we joined our partners in nutrition CARE International, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network
"It takes a community to raise a child." Â Often times we think that good education is the only way to ensure that a girl child can be successful in life. The Trust's Nutrition Program officer and Nutrition Champion, Christine Muyama, believes that there is more to developing a complete and fulfilled adult. She shares
 The Graça Machel Trust prides itself in its mission of nurturing caring societies, that value social justice and the protection of the rights of women and children. It is through this mission that the staff at the Trust saw it fit to host Isithunzi, a social impact initiative aimed at raising young girlsâ awareness
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.