H.E. Ms Graça Machel - Chair, International Board of Trustees of ACPF 9th International Policy Conference on the African Child - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Good morning Excellencies, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the African Child Policy Forum and my own behalf, I welcome you all to this first-ever international policy conference that
A significant challenge women small business owners face is raising finance to grow their businesses. It is estimated that women's financing gap is $42 billion. The Graça Machel Trust WCW (Women Creating Wealth Programme) and African Development Bank AFAWA (Affirmative Finance Action for women in Africa) have joined hands to start closing this gap. Our
Paris, France - June 28, 2022 Honourable President Banda, thank you for inviting me to this critically important gathering and for your kind words. Good afternoon, Excellencies and Distinguished Guests. I would like to express my gratitude to my dear sister, Dr Oby and her team at Human Capital Africa for convening us
The Digital gender gap continues to expand across emerging markets. As a result, there is a rising need to address digital gender equality with targeted approaches, particularly among predominantly informal markets like rural communities, Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) segments. When women and girls are empowered through digital technologies, societies benefit
The Graça Machel Trust welcomes Shiphra Chisha as the new Director of Programmes. Ms Chisha's tenure began on Monday, 23rd May 2022. Her appointment clearly reflects the company's current state: ready to take on the future. Ms Chisha holds a Master's in Business Administration, Bachelor of Commerce in Economics from the University of Johannesburg and Strategic
07 April 2022 Dr Peter Ngategize, family and friends of Mrs Peninah Ngategize- On behalf of the Founder of the Graça Machel Trust, Mrs Graça Machel, the Board of Trustees, the team at the Trust, the Trust’s Family in Uganda, our networks partners across the continent and our partners wish to express our deepest
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
POLICY SUMMARY: The vision of the Graça Machel Trust (the Trust) is to nurture caring societies that value social justice, promote, and protect the rights of women and children. This vision as well as the Trust’s commitment to upholding human dignity and human rights anchors the organisation’s work. The Trust is committed to inculcating a
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.