The DVF Awards
At the time of publishing this newsletter she had just been one of the honourees at the Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) Awards. The DVF Awards were founded in 2010 by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation to recognise and support extraordinary women. Each year, five awards are bestowed to women who have demonstrated leadership, strength, and courage in their commitment to women’s causes.
Photo: Mama Machel’s Awards was handed over by Oprah Winfrey
Mama Machel was in great company this year with other honourees: The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern, Alessandra Kustermann, Reem Hajajreh (Women Of The Sun) & Yael Admi (Women Wage Peace) and Xiye Bastida.
In her acceptance speech Mama Graça Machel said: “Being a woman is the best gift to humanity, because we can transform, we can change, we can bring a brighter future for everyone.”
“I am incredibly emotional. I have never felt so much energy. Tonight we are celebrating women who are truly extraordinary, magical women. Women who have demonstrated courage, strength, compassion, dignity and leadership,” conclude Diane von Furstenberg. Read more about this magical night: https://bit.ly/3z05Agu
African Philanthropy Lifetime Achievement
Mama Machel was recently honoured with the African Philanthropy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 5th Annual African Philanthropic Conference in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, in July . She had won the award in 2022 and was able to attend and receive it in person this year. The award celebrates her enduring contributions as a fighter for liberation and an advocate for women and children in Africa and beyond. Watch a short clip of her speech here.
Photo:African Philanthropy Forum
Forbes Woman Africa Lifetime Achievement Award
In March 2024, she received the Forbes Woman Africa Lifetime Achievement Award in Johannesburg for her lifelong dedication to promoting equitable rights and improving lives, rooted in Mozambique’s quest for independence.
Photo: Forbes Africa
The Democracy Award
Additionally, in December 2023, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Washington D.C. awarded her the Democracy Award, acknowledging her significant impact on democracy and human rights. Mama Machel’s journey and the recognition she has received inspire us to continue advancing her mission of building a just and equitable world. Watch her NDI acceptance speech 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 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.