On 24th November 2021, the GraƧa Machel Trust was part of the African Development Bank Regional Civil Society Forum, which aimed to enhance stakeholder engagement at the regional level. It was stated by the Bank that each region has determined its most relevant theme, which highlights existing challenges and opportunities to enhance Civil Society engagement to improve the impact and quality of Bank operations. This provides an opportunity for the Bank to present its regional integration strategy by engaging civil society organisations in the region. This year, they deliberated on themes that highlighted challenges and existing CSE opportunities that can enhance Bank operations’ relevance, impact, and quality while concretising areas to engage with CSOs in the regions.
Through theĀ Engaging civil society in building resilient economies in post-COVID-19 AfricaĀ theme,Ā Ā emphasis was placed on enhancing women’s resilience by looking at challenges and opportunities, including issues around Women in Business; Access to Markets and Finance; Addressing Gender-based Violence and Women’s bodily integrity. The focus was also drawn on promoting trade and investments within the SADC Region and the empowerment of youth.
GMT has been part of the Banks CSO committee member since 2020, working with other civil society organisations in advising the Bank on forging stronger relations and partnerships with the CSO community and helping hold the Bank accountable for the implementation of the Civil Society Engagement Strategy. Dr Shungu Gwarinda represented GMT as the committee member. She joined Ms Linet Miriti-Otieno, Principal Gender Specialist Ā and Women in Business Representative Prisca Soko, Chairperson, African Women in Business, to share reflections around enhancing women’s resilience- “Challenges and Opportunities.” She shared thoughts on the strengths of African women, particularly when they navigate around Ā economic empowerment.Ā Ā
Dr Gwarinda highlighted that a third of African SME’s in the region and across the continent are women-owned or led. At least 58% of women are self-employed pop. “Women in Africa choose entrepreneurship not because they have a burning passion or the right skills. But because they lack better opportunities,” she said, adding that wage job opportunities are relatively more scarce for those with lower levels of formal education, resulting in discrimination in the hiring process.
“Up to 70% of women are in the informal economy. They face significant barriers to access finance. More than 20% of African women are excluded by financial institutions (WH, 2020). A third of small-medium enterprises are owned or led by women. They face many hurdles: access to finance, lack of training, and now, the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating effects” ā Dr Shungu Gwarinda.
She added that the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced pre-existing gender inequalities and fractured systems. Economic sectors hardest hit are those where women are mostly found, including the care economy. The bulk of the recovery responses to date are gender blindā¦the pandemic has catapulted the pace of digitisation, heralding new ways of working, connecting, and doing business but also widening the digital divide, especially for those in the informal economy. Prisca Soko echoed this by pointing at African women’s high potential and opportunities to grow in the digital economy and become serious investors in the economy.
Watch the full session 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 childrenās 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 Childrenās Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsā 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 Trustās 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 motherās health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childās life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.