“The role of media is to bring all network ideas together. In the same spirit of having a visible network, we have to work together. We must find ways to communicate and support one another. Amplify each other’s voices on social media.” – Ms Susan Makore, the Deputy Chairperson of the Graça Machel Trust Women in Media Network.
Â
These are the words echoed by Ms Makore when she spoke during a virtual meeting of GMT’s Zimbabwe Network Chapters New Faces New Voices (NFNV), National Association of Business Women Zimbabwe(NABWZ), African Women in Agribusiness Network (AWAB) and Women in Media (WiMN). Participants were Dr Lucy Mandengenda for NFNV (Chairperson), Dr Hesphina Rukato for NABW (Chairperson), Mrs Susan Makore for Women in Media (Deputy Chairperson), Ms Zwane for AWAB and Ms Cathrine Dzingire (NABW consultant).
Â
The networks have been meeting virtually to help improve in-country coordination. This helps develop strategies for working together, derive common areas of collaboration, share network-specific initiatives, and the basis of unified engagement on Zimbabwe with GMT. The August meeting was to bring the sister networks together and discuss current areas of work, possible areas of collaboration, thought leadership to enhance visibility and profiling platforms through engagement with GMT. The meeting contributed to all networks becoming a more substantial vehicle for supporting women development, empowerment, financial inclusion and access to markets across different economic sectors.
By Cathrine Dzingire
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs 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 Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ 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 Trustâs 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 motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.