“If we are here in solidarity, with this beauty of unity, in our pain, we have to pledge to do something” -Graça Machel at Uyinene Mrwetyana’s memorial service in Cape Town
September has been a very heavy month for the Trust, South Africa, and the rest of Africa. South Africa made headlines, for all the wrong reasons. The country has been rocked by what has come to be recognised by many as Afro-phobia, (Africans fighting each other), where several people lost their lives, some arrested and others left the country.
At the same time, the rising levels of femicide in the country were highlighted by the recent killings of women at the hands of men. The Graça Machel Trust, our Founder, Mrs Graça Machel and our Women’s Rights programme stand in solidarity with all movements and campaigns fighting against xenophobia and violence on women and children. We also call for all African women to stand and work together to end xenophobia and gender-based violence around the continent.
Speaking in her capacity as the Chancellor of the University of Cape Town at a memorial Service of a student who was killed recently while collecting a package from the post office, Mrs Graça Machel called on families to reflect on what is happening and the root causes of why and how we got to a point where we are as a society and how to start rebuilding the moral fabric of our society.
“We have to start a programme in which we really interrogate the real causes of where we are, and how we got to this point. We have to join hands with other institutions and ask the questions: What is happening? Why is that our families are nurturing murderers and rapists? It is in our families, It is not in our classes. What is it which has gone so wrong?”-Mrs. Graça Machel
“This is really a deeply rooted crisis of our family structures. We lack clarity on nurturing and educating our children to love and respect one another. It is in our families, churches, the community and the workplace where these issues must be addressed”, Mrs Machel said.
Watch full speech 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.