20 November, 2019
The Graça Machel Trust is bringing the Women Creating Wealth Entrepreneurship Development Programme to South Africa. Women Creating Wealth is a Pan-African initiative that has significantly grown the businesses and positively impacted the entrepreneurial behaviours, skills, and confidence of women entrepreneurs.
The programme that has been tested in three African countries; Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia has graduated 300-high growth entrepreneurs. Vivien Kapondamgag, one of the beneficiaries of the programme from Malawi said, “The program has not only benefitted us individually and in our businesses, but its impact has also trickled down to communities as a way of transforming them.”
The initiative is open to South African woman-owned and businesses based in Gauteng Province working in agribusiness, agri-processing, manufacturing, construction, energy, retail, trade and services. The business must have a turn-over of at least R10,000 per month and have been operational for at least two years at the time of this launch. Women Creating Wealth will seek to enrol 120 women to undertake the 10-month programme that will be made up of a face-to-face one-week foundational training programme and a ten months after care initiative that will include mentorship, peer learning and guidance of strategies to attract markets, finance and talent to grow their businesses nationally, regionally, and globally.
The Graça Machel Trust, Women’s Economic and Social Advancement Programme Manager, Ms. Korkor Cudjoe said; “It is exciting for the Trust to bring this innovative initiative to South Africa. Watching the women entrepreneurs in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia growing and becoming more confident in negotiating contracts and business deals with banks has been truly inspiring and we hope the same effect will be realised in South Africa. Further, we see the opportunity to connect the entrepreneurs from the four countries over the next year to drive in intra-Africa trade, leveraging the opportunities in the African Free Continental agreements (AfCTA).”
The call for applications is open between the 18th of November to the 20th of December, 2019 with an information sharing session scheduled for the 21st of November, 2019 at 8am that will be open to entrepreneurs and media outlets keen to get more on the benefits and the scope of the programme. The programme will commence in February of 2020.
About Graça Machel Trust
The Graça Machel Trust is a non-profit organisation that works in Africa to ensure women and children are put at the centre of Africa’s development agenda. Through building networks and alliances to champion transformative change, the Trust supports local initiatives and connects multisectoral stakeholders at a regional, national and sub-national levels to catalyse action that tackles institutional and social barriers to the advancement of women and children in Africa. By using its convening power, the Trust amplifies the voices of women and children; promotes children’s holistic development and protection, influences governance; and promote women’s contributions and leadership in the second Liberation: the economic social and political development of Africa. Website: www.gracamacheltrust.org
For more information contact:
Nthateng Mhlambiso: – NthatengM@gracamacheltrust.org, Tel: +27 (0) 11 325 0501
Gwada Majange: – gwadamiraim@gracamacheltrust.orh Tel: +27 (0) 11 325 0501
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.