Graça Machel Trust founder, Mrs Graça Machel is (ALM) African Leadership Magazine‘s African Climate Champion of the year 2020. She and alongside 10 other distinguished Africans including World Health Organization, Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Nana Akufo-Addo the President of Ghana were recognised during a virtual event on February 26.
Mrs Graça Machel’s certificate of recognition by African Leadership Magazine.
“I take this recognition with humility and pride as well, to become a voice of Africans and the price we are paying for climate change although we are not the makers of the changes which have been drastically affecting the planet. But more importantly, it is to raise the importance of countries developing strategies to mitigate the impact of [climate change],” said Mrs. Machel at the beginning of her acceptance speech.
She further spoke in part about the devastating effects of Cyclone Idai and the humanitarian crisis it created in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi and how that has further informed the work of the Trust, especially with the women networks that it works with.
“We are trying to get women to respond in a very positive and dynamic way and accepting that we are not only victims but we are makers of our own life and our future. We can come as examples of how we respond and even spearhead initiatives such as using clean energy. We are at the forefront of transformative responses to climate change,” she emphasized in closing.
Mrs Machel during her speech at the ALM awards.
The event marked nine years since African Leadership Magazine launched the awards to celebrate outstanding achievements and achievers in Africa. Annually, the magazine puts out a call for nomination and voting where Africans chose distinguished persons who have excelled in different spheres as winners of the persons of the year. The last poll attracted over 120,000 votes on the magazine website; over 7 million active online engagement during the voting period; and over 5000 votes via email.
The Magazine publisher Dr. Ken Giami noted in a statement that the 2020 nominees and winners were selected for their contribution towards minimizing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent and helping in inspiring hope for the future.
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.