It is estimated that over 400 million children are currently living on the African continent. But, how many children are aware of the existing child rights systems and mechanisms designed to protect their rights? According to Child Rights International Network, children are affected by all of the Sustainable Development Goals, and not only poverty, hunger,
The HAKI journey In 1994 James Cameron wrote the story to the 3-D sci-fi film Avatar, which was only released globally in 2009, and went on to make close to US$3 billion on the Box Office[1]. So why did he wait for so long to release the movie? Because in 1994, the technology to develop
In 2016 the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Childrenâs Fund (UNICEF) launched a global programme to fight against child marriage in 12 of the most prevalent countries. These include; Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The East and Southern Africa regions are among
Out of 75% of girls who start school in Africa, only 8% complete their studies. At any one time, around 28 million girls are out of school in Sub-Saharan Africa. Such limited educational opportunities keep girls from securing safe, reliable and rewarding forms of employment, thereby perpetuating chronic poverty across generations. In addition, adolescent girls
In line with World Food Programme (WFP's) School Feeding Strategy (2020-2030) and its Southern Africa Regional Bureau (RBJ), SADC and government commitment to strengthen the implementation of school feeding programmes, WFP entered into an advocacy partnership with the Graça Machel Trust.  Through this partnership, WFP will leverage the Trus't's expertise and experience in nutrition and
The Graça Machel Trust is officially a newly-elected member of African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC); and is readily committed to work with the Committee to translate childrenâs rights into a reality. This appointment comes with an Observer Status by the ACERWC. The Child Rights team was given
GMT Child Rights Programme recently marked a phenomenal milestone after presenting the final revised version of its digital childrenâs learning platform HAKI 4 ALL Children to over 100 Children from across the Africa continent. This took place on March 12, 2021 during the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 18thACERWC CSO
Equipping children with increased skills, knowledge about their rights and where to go and seek help whenever they feel their rights have been violated has always been a priority for the Trust. The year 2020 saw the Child Rights Programme make concerted efforts to empower and strengthen children's capacity by developing  and conducting training for
âGirls are ready to leadâŚput girls in charge. You will be pleasantly surprised by what they can do.â This riveting statement made by UN Womenâs Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka captures the essence of the astute and engaging panel discussion on overcoming barriers to education for girls in a COVID-19 world. The online webinar held on
Credit: World Health Organisation website Screenshot  The World Health Organisation (WHO) believes that, if safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 are developed, everyone, everywhere who could benefit from these vaccines should have access as quickly as possible, starting with those at highest risk. WHO has provided recommendations about the populations that need to be
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.