Scaling up accelerating learning models for out-of-school children According toĀ UNESCO, over 97 million children in Africa are out of school, andĀ 52 millionĀ areĀ girls, and this number continues to grow with the rising demand for education. Still, these millions of children face an uncertain future as their economic and social prospects become daunting2. In addition, Africa is
Reportedly, over half a billion children live in extremely high flood occurrence zones; nearly 160 million live in high or extremely high drought severity zones. While it is true that climate change will ultimately impact every child, these children are already in harmās way and face some of the most immediate risks. There is a
Early childhood development (ECD) is recognised and entrenched within the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.Ā Ā Aspirations-Ā An Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children, and the SDGsĀ prioritise ending all forms of poverty, malnutrition, preventable
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 Childrenās 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 GraƧa Machel Trust. Ā Through this partnership, WFP will leverage the Trus't's expertise and experience in nutrition and
The GraƧa 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 childrenās 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 childrenās learning platform HAKI 4 ALL ChildrenĀ to over 100 Children from across the Africa continent. This took place on March 12, 2021 during theĀ African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 18thACERWC CSO
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenās 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 Childrenās Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsā 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 Trustās 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 motherās health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childās life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.