"Girls are not going to school; they are just sitting at home. Some are coming of age. Parents are facing an uncertain future due to loss of income caused by the coronavirus, so they are having the girls cut[go through female genital mutilation] and will marry them off," said Domtila Chesang in an anti-FGM campaigner
 Photo Credit: Zach Vessels  The COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a health crisis. When it began to escalate worldwide, many countries to protect students, closed schools, colleges and universities. Since then the pandemic has brought unprecedented educational disruption with 1.2 billion students and youth across the continent affected due to
  Photo by cottonbro from Pexels  Gender-based violence (GBV) is a public health issue that affects all members of society, but more significantly women and girls. GBV includes physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, psychological abuse and economic or educational deprivation. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a lot of women and children worldwide
Eliminate the hoe and replace with simple, accessible agricultural technologies. It has to be part of the âindustrialisationâ of Africa!- Graça Machel  "Women need to be at the forefront of agricultural industrialisation, at the decision-making table and throughout the value chain, including in the development of better farming technologies as African women are still using a farming
 Don't be Silent courtesy of MultiChoice.   MultiChoice Group (MCG) has partnered with businesses, governments, NGOs, the media and local communities in a virtual event titled the Brotherhood and Sisterhood Gender-Based-Violence Conference. The virtual event themed âDonât be silent!â will get participants to look into critical challenges impacting most African women,
 Graça Machel Trust (GMT) Founder, Mrs. Graça Machel has been nominated for this yearâs Priyadarshini Academyâs Global Awards. Mrs. Machel has been honored with this prestigious award for her outstanding contribution to the Welfare of Women & Children.  She is nominated alongside Mr. JosĂŠ Angel GurrĂa, the Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation
Nine years ago Jackie Bouvier bore a dream, the Black Philanthropy Month (BPM); a global celebration, revival and mobilization of Black giving in all its forms to advance black communities everywhere. Her dream has since been endorsed by over 30 governmental bodies including the United Nations declaring every August Black Philanthropy Month. To date, 17
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.