On March 19, 2024, the Graça Machel Trust’s Adolescent Girls Movement Programme hosted its 3rd annual Pan African Adolescent Girls Jubilee. The hybrid event provided a significant dialogue and connected over 250 high-spirited adolescent girls and young women aged 10 to 20 in five African countries to address some of the most pressing issues faced by teenage girls in Africa.
This year’s convening, held under the theme “Promoting quality education to transform the holistic development of African Adolescent Girls,” was set against the backdrop of a region with the highest adolescent birth rates and notable challenges in female education retention. With the presence of changemakers, key stakeholders, and partner organizations at the forefront of contributing to the advancement of adolescent girls, the Jubilee carved out space for critical conversations and collaborative solution-building.
The Jubilee stood out as a call to action, signalling the need for increased participation of adolescents in crafting solutions that address the factors inhibiting their education. By creating a platform where girls could share the barriers to their school retention, the event voiced their collective concerns and reinforced the importance of the Pan African Adolescent Girls Movement. It marked a step forward in expanding the movement’s membership and understanding, signalling a collective rise to the challenge of educating an African girl fit for the 21st century and building resilient education systems for a continent in the throes of transformation.
Here is a sneak peek into the jubilee event
Arrival and warm welcomes: The jubilant faces of over 250 young women, both onsite and online, reflected the hope and determination the day promised.
A Call to Unite: Margret Gathinja Kilonzo’s vibrant “Eagles Declaration” delivery ushered in the day’s agenda, capturing the essence of unity and shared vision.
Wisdom from the Founder: The Trust’s Founder, Mrs Graça Machel, infused the air with words that sparked a fire of possibility in the hearts of the young attendees.
A warm welcome from our “Mother Eagles” Trust’s Interim CEO, Theo Sowa and Director of Programmes, Shiphra Chisha, collectively voiced the opening remarks, laying the groundwork for an event poised to address critical educational challenges.
Dalreé de Lange, Senior Programme Officer of Graça Machel Trust and keynote speaker Karen Ondwasi, Founding Chairperson of Gender is My Agenda Youth Network (GIMAC) took the stage to provide an insightful programme overview, touching on the transformative initiatives shaping the future of African girls’ education.
Interactive Breakout Sessions: Diverse groups discussed critical themes, from girls in leadership to the impact of climate change, allowing every voice to be heard and every idea to be valued.
Cultural Celebrations: The Jubilee was punctuated with vibrant performances celebrating African heritage, showcasing the talent and spirit of the continent’s young women.
Collective voices in plenary: Representatives from each group presented their findings and posed poignant questions to a panel of leaders, embodying the event’s collaborative ethos.
Intergenerational Dialogue: A dynamic panel engaged in meaningful dialogue, answering questions posed by the young participants, bridging the gap between generations. The dialogue that followed, featuring influential voices of Her Royal Highness Queen Ndamase of Pondo Land (centre); Zandile Mkhwanazi, Founder and CEO of Girl Code (right); Nangamso Mkutaji Gumbe of Creative Researcher, Writer, and Artist (left); Emma Theofelus, Young Namibian Minister of ICT (online); Damon Wamara, Chairperson of the African Charter of the Rights and Walfare of Children CSO Forum (online); Honourable Aboubekrine El Jera, ACERWC Special Rapporteur on Health (online), was rich with perspectives on leadership, entrepreneurship, and advocacy for adolescent education.
Reflecting and looking forward: As the event drew to a close, the reflections shared by attendees resonated with hope and a renewed commitment to the educational advancement of African adolescent girls.
Learn more about the Graça Machel Trust’s Adolescent Girls Movement here
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.