In many parts of Africa, adolescent girls still face significant barriers—limited access to health services, inadequate education, and social stigma. These challenges don’t just hinder their personal growth – they can silence potential leaders and changemakers. But what if, instead of being held back, these girls were equipped and supported to lead? That’s the goal of the Graça Machel Trust, to be achieved one Nest at a time.
A Nest is a peer-led platform formed by groups of adolescent girls, inspired by the metaphor of high-flying Eagles. Supported by partner organisations and led by older peers or “big sisters,” Nests bring together girls with shared interests. As these groups grow and the girls’ confidence and leadership develop, the Nests become vehicles for community advocacy, challenging structural barriers and driving change.
Adolescent girls actively engage in interactive sessions facilitated by peer “Eagles,” developing confidence, leadership skills, and amplifying their voices through the Malawi Nest initiative.
In March 2025, the Trust launched a new Nest in Malawi, marking another significant step forward in the Pan-African Adolescent Girls’ Movement. In partnership with the Campaign for Adolescent Health Education, Sanitation, and Hygiene (CAHESH), this initiative ensures adolescent girls—especially those with disabilities—gain essential access to education, health resources, and leadership training.
In Malawi, as in many countries across the continent, young girls often face challenges mentioned earlier and limited leadership opportunities. For girls with disabilities, these challenges are even more acute.
Girls collaboratively engage in creative group activities, crafting educational materials to address key issues like teenage pregnancy through the Malawi Nest initiative.
This is where the Pan-African Adolescent Girls’ Movement makes a difference. By creating safe, supportive spaces led by young facilitators known as “Eagles,” the programme teaches girls to firstly understand themselves, understand how they can interact with their elders and communities and how to advocate for issues that affect them. These spaces offer more than education—they ignite transformation.
Partnerships that drive change
Adolescent girls in Malawi face a range of interlinked challenges that hinder their growth and well-being. These include limited access to education—especially in rural areas—due to long distances, household responsibilities, and inadequate menstrual hygiene resources. Harmful cultural norms and poverty further compound the issue, leading to early marriages, teenage pregnancies, and gender-based violence. Many girls lack safe spaces to voice their rights and access to mentors or role models, resulting in low self-esteem and limited aspirations.
MacDonald D. Kaluwa, Executive Director of CAHESH, shared his thoughts on the partnership with the Graça Machel Trust, describing it as a transformative initiative for girls in Malawi. He said, “This project will bridge the gap in youth development by supporting adolescent girls in developing their confidence, agency and leadership skills. This enable them to actively participate in matters that affect their wellbeing. It will also create an environment for peer support, learning, and accessing critical resources for sustained change.” He added that the partnership will also open doors to educational and economic inclusion initiatives, enabling girls to make informed decisions, advocate for their rights, and influence policy reforms in Malawi.
Through its collaboration with CAHESH, the Trust works closely with local communities and networks to ensure its programmes reflect the lived experiences of the girls involved. By addressing gaps in education and hygiene, they’re helping build scalable, community-driven solutions that create lasting impact.
“We are proud to be working with committed local implementing partners in 7 countries, and have been able to reach over 3 900 adolescent girls. We are excite and that we are growing and will be reaching more young women on the continent this year” said Dalree de Lange, Senior Programme Officer at GMT.
Joyful participants and facilitators celebrate the launch of the Malawi Nest, showcasing the vibrant energy and community spirit at the heart of the Pan-African Adolescent Girls Movement.
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.