On 8th March 2022, the Graça Machel Trustsâ Women Economic and Social Advancement (WESA) Programme launched a Financial Inclusion Project Documentary to mark this yearâs Womenâs Month celebrations. The launch, which took place virtually via Zoom and Facebook Live, spotlighted the impact stories of some of the women entrepreneurs from the âmissing middleâ who have
The aim of this report is to document best practices by taking a micro-level deep dive into why women entrepreneurs applying for 'missing middle' funding (i.e., in the range of USD 30 000â USD 500 000) more often fail than succeed. This report focuses on the demand and supply issues related to women entrepreneurs access
 An Open Letter by: Graça Machel, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Vera Songwe, Maria Ramos  âTimes of Unprecedented Crisis Present Unique Opportunities for Unprecedented Actionâ  COVID 19 has unearthed massive inequalities within our societies and brought to glaring light the unique burdens which women carry the world over. Allocation of response
 Of all the suffering and abuse endured by African boys and girls - and sadly the list is long and shameful - sexual exploitation is surely one of the most egregious. In my long life I have often witnessed the worst excesses of cruelty towards children - trafficking, violence, kidnapping, forced recruitment, discrimination of
 University of Cape Town - Cape Town, 4 September 2019  Good Morning Vice Chancellor of UCT Professor Phakeng, Alan Doss, President of the Kofi Annan Foundation, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,  It is an honor to be with you here today for this important and timely discussion on democracy in our region. Â
FAO Conference The Forty-first Session of McDougall Memorial Lecture, 22-29 June 2019, Rome In Honour of Frank L. McDougall Delivered by Graça Machel, Chair of the Board of the Graça Machel Trust Thank you for the honour to address you this morning! I am not a diplomat, so I must provide a disclaimer at the outset
 Hunger is the single most acute problem facing Africaâs children. As you read this, around sixty million children across Africa suffer from hunger. Not the mildly uncomfortable sort of hunger that comes from skipping the odd meal, but permanent, relentless malnourishment, stunting and wasting.   No child should go hungry. I find it
Graça Machel, Founder, Graça Machel Trust  The global family should be deeply troubled about the investments we are making in the young girls throughout the African continent. Africa has have committed to ensuring all girls and boys will have access to early childhood education and complete quality primary and secondary education by 2030. But
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.