At the Graça Machel Trust, we believe in spotlighting the women whose leadership lights the way for others. In this issue of The Catalysts, we proudly celebrate three phenomenal trailblazers whose contributions are shaping the future of financial inclusion, economic justice, and women’s advancement. Gloria Lema: Coaching with Purpose, Leading with Heart Coach.
The Graça Machel Trusts' Women Creating Wealth (WCW) Programme continues to achieve transformative impact, supporting thousands of women entrepreneurs, generating sustainable jobs, and unlocking critical funding and market opportunities across the continent. Here are some of the achievements that the programme has made this quarter. Driving entrepreneurial impact By the end of 2024,
African women entrepreneurs transforming public procurement Despite substantial contributions to Africa’s economic growth, particularly in SMEs and cross-border trade, women entrepreneurs face significant barriers in accessing public procurement opportunities. Limited awareness, complex digital requirements, and bureaucratic hurdles impede their economic participation. However, advocacy groups like COMFWB Malawi are leading the charge to implement gender-responsive
The Graça Machel Trust is a leading advocate for women’s economic advancement across Africa. Through strategic policy engagement, capacity-building workshops, and high-level advocacy, the Trust breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for women entrepreneurs. Strengthening Advocacy for Women Entrepreneurs Recently, the Trust hosted Advocacy Review Workshops in Malawi and Zambia. These events provided
It was a leap of faith that defined Sandra Kambikambi’s journey. In August 2020, after fourteen years in the corporate world, she walked away from a stable career to pursue a passion that had been quietly brewing in her heart: financial inclusion. As the founder and managing director of MyScape Resource Centre Limited, Sandra has since
Recognising entrepreneurs at the WCW Annual Summit In November 2024, more than 200 women from nine African countries gathered in Johannesburg for the Trust’s three-day Women Creating Wealth Summit. T The event, themed “Breaking Barriers, Building Wealth,” brought together entrepreneurs, policymakers, and leaders to share ideas and shape Africa’s future prosperity. During a gala dinner,
We are dedicated to cultivating an exclusive, dynamic community where entrepreneurs can access essential resources, engage in meaningful collaborations, and continuously refine their skills. Within our private Facebook group, members gain daily support through motivational leadership insights, guidance on self-mastery, and live streams of vital events—all designed to advance holistic business growth.
With more than 60% of women in the Women Creating Wealth (WCW) programme engaged in agriculture, this sector serves as a strategic focus for advancing women’s economic opportunities. To overcome the critical challenges that women entrepreneurs face in accessing markets and finance, the programme is actively collecting data, documenting lessons learned, and developing targeted interventions
Nigeria - New Faces New Voices Driving Financial Inclusion Through Digital Platforms and Policy Advocacy In Nigeria, NFNV is making steady progress, supporting women through digital platforms and policy advocacy. After the Women Leading for Impact Summit, held in May in Kano State under the theme Accelerating Women’s Financial Inclusion Through the Digital
The Kemet Boutros Ghali Foundation for Peace and Knowledge has honoured Mrs Graça Machel, Founder of the Trust, with its annual award in recognition of her contributions to the African continent. The Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Mamdouh Abbas, presented the award and praised Mrs. Machel’s humanitarian efforts and her dedication to
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.