Supporting girls through leadership and partnerships in Zambia
The Pan-African Adolescent Girls’ Movement achieved a key milestone by establishing its first ‘Nest’ in Lusaka, Zambia, collaborating with the Foundation for Adolescent Girls Movement and Young People in Zambia (FAPEZA). FAPEZA serves as the local implementing partner and ensures that the project addresses pressing social challenges while promoting inclusivity for girls with disabilities.
The Lusaka Nest serves as a foundation for a supporting adolescent girls aged 11 to 24. Designed around the Adolescent Movement curriculum, the Nest was launched with a two-day pilot programme workshop where participants began developing critical leadership, advocacy, and agency skills. Central to this initiative are 12 peer mentors, affectionately known as ‘Nurturing Eagles,’ and five dedicated staff members, all trained to provide ongoing guidance and foster a sustainable support framework. This foundational approach has already garnered attention from Zambian news outlets, attracting interest and backing from stakeholders, including the Zambian government and regional organisations such as the Global Platform. By addressing local challenges with culturally relevant and tailored solutions, the Lusaka Nest is emerging as a vibrant, community-centred model for support and growth.
Photo: The Lusaka Nest is not just a space. It is a movement in action, a catalyst for change, and a testament to the potential of adolescent girls as leaders and advocates in their communities.
‘Black Girl, Your Dreams Are Valid’: Inspiring Leadership at the ALI Forum in Kenya
Since 2021, the Amazon Leadership Initiative (ALI) has partnered with the Graça Machel Trust to support young African women leaders in their endeavours. On November 28, 2024, the Trust’s Adolescent Girls’ Movement joined this impactful collaboration at the ALI’s 4th Annual Leadership Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. The forum, themed “Black Girl, Your Dreams Are Valid,” provided a vibrant platform for young female leaders to engage in deep learning, meaningful networking, and uplifting mentorship to prepare them for public, business, and civic sectors.
Representing the Pan-African Adolescent Girls’ Movement, Senior Programme Officer Dalreé de Lange showcased the work of the Movement and its commitment to adolescent leadership.
Photo: Dalreé de Lange pictured with some of the participants at the event.
The event also saw the in-person participation of five adolescent girls from the Movement, who joined over 1,500 peers across the continent, including 500 attending the forum in person. These girls gained invaluable skills in public speaking, debating, and crafting impactful messages, further refining their leadership and advocacy abilities. The forum connected them with female luminaries from diverse sectors, enabling them to champion campaigns and position themselves effectively for policy engagement. This milestone highlights the Movement’s dedication to nurturing visionary young leaders ready to drive meaningful change in Africa and beyond.
Looking Ahead
Expanding Horizons: Equipping 7,000 Adolescent Girls for a Brighter Future in 2025
Our Pan-African Adolescent Girls’ Movement has taken a bold step forward by launching a dynamic, user-friendly Learner Management System (LMS), the centrepiece of its adolescent-friendly self-actualisation curriculum. This platform will offer access to over 3,000 courses and provide structured learning, personalised feedback, career-focused modules, and direct communication with instructors and mentors. By creating a holistic and interactive educational experience, the LMS will support girls with the necessary skills and confidence.
In 2025, the Movement is considering expanding its reach by onboarding 7,000 new adolescent girls from five countries, administering its curriculum in Mozambique and Malawi, and conducting outreach in seven nations. With plans to participate in key regional advocacy events like the 45th ACRWC Ordinary Session in Lesotho, the Movement is set for a transformative year of growth and connection, unlocking the potential of adolescent girls across Africa.
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.