Photo: Júlio Dengucho / FORBES AFRICA LUSÓFONA.
“Every 8th of March, we recall and salute those who have so valiantly made possible the gains in our struggle for gender equality. We celebrate the incredible achievements of women around the globe and the victories we have attained to bring us closer to gender-equal societies. But as we lay focus on our triumphs, we are also reminded by COVID of just how far we have yet to go to achieve the equality we seek and how important it is to close the inequality chasms that this virus has painfully deepened and widened.
As we rebuild and emerge from the most acute phase of the pandemic, we must deliver on commitments made to women over the course of the past few years and during our Generation Equality Forum in Paris last year. Recognizing the magnitude of the challenges we face; the time is now to put aspirational pledges into actionable plans. We must move to the undertaking of their swift implementation. COVID presents us with the opportunity to reimagine and redesign our societies into vibrant and equitable ones. How much progress have governments made in bringing gender to the Centre of their policies? How have business and civil society transformed their practices to advance women’s rights? How many females enjoy positions of leadership and influence in our decision-making spaces? How many women are driving COVID relief committees and at the helm of recreating our communities into ones of social justice?
At the Graça Machel Trust, in conjunction with our partners, we are working to transform institutions to bring women to the Centre of the development agenda and equip women to remove structural barriers within our economies. We are nurturing female entrepreneurs to grow in their numbers and leadership capability, partnering with governments and financial institutions to expand access to finance, and increasing digital financial inclusion for women across the African continent.
Let this International Women’s Day, be one of celebration, but more importantly, vigorous commitment to push forward the boundaries of transformation.”
As we lay focus on our triumphs, we are also reminded by COVID of just how far we have yet to go to achieve the equality we seek and how important it is to close the inequality chasms that this virus has painfully deepened and widened.
Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias
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.