I find myself profoundly saddened by the departure of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and simultaneously in celebration of his rich legacy. Amid these mixed emotions, I mourn the loss of a brother, my loyal friend and my spiritual leader. Â Arch is the last of an extraordinarily outstanding generation of leaders that Africa birthed and gifted
Do your little bit of good where you are; itâs those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world â Desmond Tutu.   Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu. Photo Credit: UN/The Elders.  The Graça Machel Trust joins Africa in mourning the passing of Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu. We extend our
POLICY SUMMARY: The vision of the Graça Machel Trust (the Trust) is to nurture caring societies that value social justice, promote, and protect the rights of women and children. This vision as well as the Trustâs commitment to upholding human dignity and human rights anchors the organisationâs work. The Trust is committed to inculcating a
The Center for Global Development (CGD) and Women in Global Health (WGH) on September 14th, 2021, hosted an event with experts on the Generation Equality Forum outcomes, focused on those from the Economic Justice and Rights Action Coalition. The experts were Jamille Bigio, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Gender Equality, USAID; Shungu Gwarinda, Director of Programs,
On 24th November 2021, the Graça Machel Trust was part of the African Development Bank Regional Civil Society Forum, which aimed to enhance stakeholder engagement at the regional level. It was stated by the Bank that each region has determined its most relevant theme, which highlights existing challenges and opportunities to enhance Civil Society engagement
Early childhood development (ECD) is recognised and entrenched within the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.  Aspirations- An Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children, and the SDGs prioritise ending all forms of poverty, malnutrition, preventable
The Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G), which took place in Japan from 7th to 8th December 2021, was a reset opportunity and a great reminder that we only have nine years left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This summit mobilised ambitious and wide-reaching multi-stakeholders who committed to transforming food and
The Graça Machel Trust (GMT), under the Expert Leaders Group (ELG) on women's financial inclusion in the digital economy, recently launched national roundtable series which focused on tabling and sharing the agenda of the ELG and GMT Networks. This allowed key stakeholders to share strategies regarding the COVID-19 economic recovery response and progress implementation and
In 2020, the Graça Machel Trusts' Women's Economic and Social Advancement (WESA) programme conducted a financial inclusion best Practice study,  documenting the experiences of 60 women in the financial sector from South Africa and Zambia. The data published from this study reveals that women still need additional investor strategies to strengthen their business acumen related
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.